The Lady and the Tramp
by bluecinderella4
Summary: Based off of Disney's "Lady & the Tramp", this is the story about what happens when an upper class girl meets a boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Better summary inside.
1. Prologue

**I didn't mention in my first** _ **Glee**_ **fic that I tried to avoid the show in its popularity/heyday/while it was airing. I would have succeeded had my sister not binge-watched the entire series at her girlfriend's insistence—I say this because my sister watched it at loud volume on the living room TV at any and all hours. So yeah, I caught some episodes. And yeah, the show's kind of a guilty pleasure now.**

 **Most ideas come when I try to sleep. Evidently around 4 in the morning, I made some brief notes on my quick memo app for this story. I decided to polish them up into a proper outline and then stash it away in a folder most likely never to be seen again. Then on tumblr, I saw a picset of parallels between Quinn & Puck and Lady & Tramp and kinda took it as a sign that maybe I should give this a try.**

 **And here we are now.**

 **It's basically an AU** _ **Lady & the Tramp **_**w/out dogs…so your rich girl/poor boy love story fit to** _ **Glee**_ **canon. I guess I can put a character list at the end to show you who will be featured but like I said, it's basically an AU** _ **Glee**_ **story of the Disney movie** _ **Lady & the Tramp**_ **w/out dogs and w/ Quinn & Puck as the central pairing.**

 **I am teetering on the brink of insanity by this point, but what the heck? Please enjoy.**

* * *

 _Her Story:_

Lucy Quinn Fabray was born into a life of privilege and luxury. The daughter of wealthy banker Russell Fabray III (who was also a descendant of one of the town's founders) and his socialite wife, Judy, Lucy had the name Quinn bestowed upon her because her older sister Frannie whined that her little sister shouldn't have the same name as one of her friends—Lucy was apparently a popular name at the time Quinn was born. And whatever the Fabrays wanted, the Fabrays got. The name Quinn seemed better suited anyway. It seemed different, unique almost. Growing up, that's what Quinn wanted to be.

Quinn lived in the finest neighborhood, in the finest house, wore the finest clothes, ate the finest foods, and was quite popular among the group of children her age. But families of that time insisted their children learn a musical skill and they all enlisted the services of a prominent piano instructor. Due to high demand for lectures, the instructor informed the Fabrays that Quinn would study with one of his finest former students. This was the first time Quinn had ever experienced anything different from any of the children. And while they would complain about how mean, or dull, or strict, or impatient, or even old their teacher was, Quinn was grateful for how nice, exciting, lenient, patient, and even young her instructor was in comparison. It made the other children envy and wish to be like her and Quinn basked in that feeling.

She also became infamously different sometime after her twelfth birthday when she became an orphan. Frannie had been accepted to a prestigious university in San Francisco and Russell and Judy accompanied their eldest daughter on a tour scheduled for the afternoon of April 18th, 1906. But once that earthquake struck, none of them made that tour. Her parents had left everything to her and her sister, but now it had all been left to twelve year old Quinn. Where was she to go? What was she to do? Who would take care of her?

Her favorite tutor offered his condolences and asked if there was anything he could do. To which the young girl asked, "Can I live with you?" She had no surviving grandparents and her families were scattered across the country and she considered the thirty year old man like a brother. He tried to offer objection, telling the girl he needed to stay close to the school he taught at. Her solution? "I'll buy the biggest, nicest house close to where you work!" He tried to tell her it wouldn't be proper. Her solution? "Adopt me!"

In all honesty, it was hard to refuse an orphan he had formed a close attachment to. Thus Will Schuester became Quinn's legal guardian and they settled in the biggest, nicest house in an equally upscale neighborhood. She also became popular there and made friends with the neighbor boys, step-brothers Kurt Hummel and Finn Hudson (becoming one of the first girls she knew to associate herself socially with boys).

Another change? In 1907, there was a new faculty member at the school. One Miss Emma Pillsbury. Everyone, particularly Will Schuester, had taken a liking to her. Quinn became the first girl she knew to play matchmaker when she invited Miss Pillsbury over for dinner to discuss schoolwork but neglected to show up and left her teacher alone with her guardian.

So in all honesty, Quinn wasn't surprised when Will and Emma married; but she wondered why it so long for them to do so (a year seems like an eternity to an impatient teenager). If you love someone, you should marry them as soon as possible, right?

All in all, she seemed very content with her current life. An upper class young woman who wasn't resigned to the necessary conventions that was expected of her, she was a happy, thriving girl blossoming into womanhood under the guidance of two wonderfully caring, kind, patient people. Most compared her life to that of a princess from the stories Quinn loved.

And Quinn did love her story.

...

 _His Story_

What was there to tell? The boy dubbed "Puck" also had a reputation. The self-processed "bad boy" of Lima, he didn't exactly grow up in the prosperous neighborhoods of the city. He literally lived on the other side of the tracks with his mother and little sister after his father abandoned them. The skills a young Puck learned were more akin to the streets than the schools. He did whatever he could to make money to help his mother care for him and his sister, but would occasionally find himself picking a pocket or two, or three.

Young Puck also had a wide variety of hobbies and interests. The boy did enjoy drawing. Although he felt he wasn't good at it, his mother gave him the support and praised that someday her son's art would be appreciated. Lately he had taken up to drawing on larger mediums about town (namely buildings, automobiles/wagons, and street signs) but the public didn't seem to appreciate it. Still in the creative phase, Puck "acquired" a guitar and taught himself to play. While he had the encouragement of his mother, the public didn't very much care for his impromptu concerts. He did know how to play football, but after one too many fights, Puck was banned from playing.

Oh yes, he was also interested in girls. And it seemed the girls were interested in him too. Often there would be a new—or even a former—flame Puck was seen around town with. It was never anything serious though; Puck learned early in life not to become too attached to anything and women were no exception. If he never got serious, he'd never get married, and therefore he'd never abandon his family. He was going to do everything he could not to be like his father.

At this point in his life, there weren't any prominent female figures in his life. Both his mother and sister died of pneumonia in the same year and he had never maintained a serious relationship. His well-known reputation didn't exactly garner him any supporters, save for one Shannon Beiste. Shannon Beiste was the tough-looking woman who owned the _Bella Notte_ restaurant and took pity on the poor boy. Every morning Puck would sneak into the alley behind her restaurant and she would provide him food.

"I don't want to see you end up in jail, Punkin'," she would tell him. "You're a good boy; you're destined for better things."

Puck would scoff and respond with, "You and I both know that's not true."

"Have a little more faith in yourself. You'll see."

Shannon Beiste seemed to be the only one who saw potential in the boy with a police record. Puck had been brought into jail on charges of theft, breaking and entering, vandalism, disturbing the peace, loitering, resisting arrest, and one time indecent exposure (which was when he had relieved himself by a tree in the park in broad daylight). But each time he had gotten off because the police had no proof that he had committed any crime. "It's amazing you don't have your face on a wanted poster yet," Chief Figgins would say.

To which Puck would lean back, smirk, and respond with, "I try." And then be escorted out back onto the streets of Lima.

It was safe to say Puck's life was nothing like those dumb fantasy stories his sister loved. But at least it was his story.

...

And the following course of events would alter the plot and combine to make

 _Their Story_

* * *

 **In order to fit canon to** _ **Glee,**_ **I had to make some adjustments and basically change the beginning. I figured I'd use this chapter as the exposition/setup chapter.**

 **Characters**

 **Quinn & Puck are Lady & the Tramp. The rich bitch (feel free to laugh at the play on words) and the playboy from the wrong side of the tracks who get together**

 **Kurt & Finn are Jock & Trusty respectively. Lady's neighbors and close friends**

 **Will & Emma are Jim Dear & Darling. The husband and wife who take care of Lady. And yes, Daniel will be in here too**

 **Beiste is Tony. Tony is the Italian who owns the restaurant and supplies Tramp with food. The Joe equivalent will be Sam because Sam eventually became assistant coach in the show so he's like assistant chef**

 **Sue is Aunt Sarah. I have a reason as to why Sue takes on this part of the no-nonsense older woman in the movie. Santana & Brittany will have a brief part as Si & Am**

 **Rachel is Peg. I also created a reason to make her the "showgirl" of the movie who becomes a comfort to Lady in the pound scene. Mercedes, Artie, Mike, Rory, and Blaine are the group of singing dogs who were also at the pound**

 **In addition to removing 'Puppy Lady' I also removed the muzzle subplot with the beaver. You can't really put a muzzle on a human so that part, along with the beaver, had to change.**

 **That's it for part 1. Head on over to see how I do on part 2.**


	2. A Man About Town

**Already established things in the last chapter; just gonna move right along for this one.**

* * *

The summer days were winding down as the sun rose on the last day of August, 1909. Sleeping at his makeshift home at the train depot, the regular whistle of the morning train was the cue for Puck to wake up and start the day. "I hear ya. I hear ya," he grumbled as he threw a shirt on, picked up his guitar, and headed into town for the same old routine. Turning down an alley, he gave his usual tap on the back door of the _Bella Notte_ restaurant.

On this particular Tuesday morning, Puck was greeted not by "Beiste" (as he affectionately called the owner), but by Beiste's assistant chef, Sam. Sam, like Puck, didn't exactly grow up well-off, but Sam's lack of criminal (or _potential_ criminal) activity made it easier for him to secure a job. Sam didn't really care for Puck and only took sympathy on him because he was afraid to make his boss angry. "She said you'd show up about now."

"So why isn't _she_ here?" Puck questioned back.

"She had to go to the market and asked me to handle things. Here," Sam handed him a bag of food. "Bon appétit."

"Beiste usually lets me in to use the john."

"Beiste isn't here."

"Come on, I gotta piss like a racehorse."

"Classy."

"Let me use the damn bathroom!"

Sam gave an aggravated sigh. "Fine," he opened the door. "Might I suggest cleaning yourself after you're finished? Or is soap a foreign thing to you?"

"Try to stay on my good side, Sammy."

…

Not too far away, Quinn had been roused by the sounds of a door slamming. This was followed by a brief series of knocks and Will's saying, "Emma, please, let me call the doctor over."

"She's having one of her fits again," Quinn loved Emma dearly, but Emma was a nervous wreck. There was always one anxiety after another with her and the doctor could never give a proper diagnosis, but did frequently mention hypochondriasis. Putting a robe on over her nightgown, Quinn went into the hall where Will was standing. "Mr. Schue," she never did get used to calling her former teacher by his given name, "is everything alright?"

Will sighed. "I don't know what to do, Quinn. A couple of days ago she was complaining about some strong smell, yesterday she had a mild panic attack over her clothes not fitting, and this morning she's actually made herself physically sick."

"Maybe you should call the doctor."

"You know how she feels about doctors." He leaned against the door. "I just don't know how to help her."

"You don't think what she has is contagious do you?"

"I don't even think she knows what's wrong with her."

At the sound of a doorknob turning, Will stepped away from the door as his wife opened it. "Will," she calmly began, "I think you should call the doctor."

"Emma?"

"I need to speak with you." She noticed Quinn. "Good morning, Quinn."

"Good morning Mrs. Schue," Quinn politely greeted.

Emma diverted her attention back to Will. "I'll see you in our bedroom." Will could only nod. "Don't be too long."

"Quinn," Will headed for his bedroom, "help yourself to some breakfast."

"I have to make it on my own?"

"We learn by doing, Quinn. It gives a better sense of satisfaction if we do everything for ourselves." Quinn gave a little pout. "Make yourself some breakfast and I'll make it up by taking you out to dinner; your choice."

"Thank you," Quinn gave him a small kiss on the cheek before going back into her room to dress for the day. As she was doing her hair, she heard the sound of an automobile slowing down. Rushing to the window, she watched as the machine stopped in front of the house next door. "They're home!" She quickly finished and ran down the stairs to greet her returning neighbors. "You're home!"

"Hi Quinn!" Kurt was the first to greet her with a hug.

"How was your trip?"

"Fabulous! Well except for the time 'Mr. Navigator' got us lost." They shared a laugh. "I swear my stepbrother was born with no sense of direction."

"But he does have a sense of hearing," Finn jested as he approached them. He gave Quinn a hug. "It's good to see you, Quinn."

"It's good to see you too, Finn," Quinn pulled away. "Now I for one can't wait to hear this story, and everything that happened in Chicago. You must have lots to tell."

"I'm sure you've got lots to tell about what happened here in Lima."

"Nothing ever happens in Lima."

"That's not true."

"There's got to be some new gossip," Kurt protested. "You mean to say that absolutely nothing happened in the last month and a half?"

"Did anything happen with Mr. and Mrs. Schue?"

"Well..." Quinn purposefully trailed off. "Now that you mentioned it, something curious has happened. Something that's made Mrs. Schue sick."

"Sick?"

"What's wrong with her?" Kurt was equally worried.

"We're not sure," Quinn explained. "It's been happening for the past few days and-" she was cut off by Finn's mother calling for the boys to come help with the luggage. "We'll have to continue this conversation later; I'll be waiting at the swing in my front yard."

...

Puck whistled to himself as he entered the town's park and casually strolled through it looking for a spot for another impromptu concert. En route, he passed a woman sitting on a bench reading a book while her impatient baby fidgeted in his stroller. _I know how you feel, Bud,_ Puck thought as the two made eye contact. Puck started making goofy faces to the baby's amusement, subsequently catching the attention of the mother. She closed her book with a huff and quickly got her and her son away from the hoodlum. With a shrug, Puck continued through the park, snatching a hat and pocket watch off of some unassuming male passerby, and decided to perform at the park's gazebo. Laying down the hat for tips, he began to play his song.

"Excuse me!" a girl about his age approached him, "Hi, I don't mean to be rude, but you can't play here."

"It's a free country," was Puck's response.

"That may be true, but I used all of my money to rent this gazebo for my troupe to put on a performance this afternoon."

"And?"

"And we need to set up for our show."

"Who's _we_? All I see is _you_."

"They'll be arriving within the next half hour; I always make sure to arrive early."

"Well yippee skippie for you."

"Would you please play your guitar somewhere else?" Puck said nothing and continued to play. "Please?" No verbal response. "I did give you a warning." She flagged down a passing police officer. "Officer, I have a grievance with this young man!"

The cop flashed a look at Puck. "In this city, who doesn't. Hello Puckerman," the officer called Puck by his surname.

"Officer Tanaka," Puck smirked at him.

The girl pulled a paper out of her dress pockets. "I have a permit to use this gazebo for a performance this afternoon and he is trespassing."

Officer Tanaka read over the permit. "It's legitimate. Let's go Puckerman."

Puck held out his hand. "May I?" He noticed the looks he was getting. "I'm not gonna tear it, I promise." The looks remained. "I ain't got no matches either. Can I just see the damn thing?"

"Why?"

Puck snatched the permit from him. "Evidently the permit reserves this gazebo for 12:00 until 5:00. It's signed by Hiram Berry and notarized by some mindless drone at City Hall." He crumpled up the paper and threw it at the girl. "Looks like I'm in the right."

The girl gasped. "You most certainly are not!"

"Are you Hiram Berry?"

"I am Rachel Berry; Hiram Berry is my father. And _I_ am the one who used my own money to rent this gazebo for the afternoon."

"Well Rachel Berry, _Hiram Berry_ is the one who has the legal right to use this gazebo from noon to five," Puck took a stopwatch out of his pocket. "And seeing as though it's only 11:06-"

"Our show starts at noon! We have to set up!"

"I'm sorry Miss Berry," Officer Tanaka apologized. "Unless we have written consent from Hiram Berry, Mr. Puckerman has the right to be here."

"But Officer-"

"I can see I'm not wanted," Puck picked up the hat, set the pocket watch in it, and tossed them both at the cop. "Expect one less audience member at your show this afternoon Miss Berry," with that Puck left.

"Excuse me, Officer!" a man called from behind Rachel and Officer Tanaka. "I seemed to have lost my hat and pocket watch." He noticed the materials in the officer's hands. "There they are!" He put the watch in his pocket and the hat on his head. "Wherever did you find them?"

Tanaka growled. "Puckerman."

...

Finn and Kurt met up with Quinn at her front yard swing as the doctor made his way into the house. "It must be serious," Kurt noted. "Mrs. Schuester almost never calls the doctor. Tell us everything."

Quinn proceeded to do so. "Mr. Schue was the first to really notice. The other day she was complaining of a strong odor, like rotten eggs, but we didn't smell anything. We thought nothing of that. The next day, she had a mild panic attack over her clothes not fitting. And today, she's made herself physically sick."

"Uh-huh," Kurt was piecing everything together. "Tell me, how were her clothes not fitting? Did she say there were too loose or too tight?"

"She was crying about how her favorite dress wasn't fitting right. Of course she felt Mr. Schue didn't understand so she asked me to help zip up her dress, but it wouldn't zip all the way."

"It was tight then?"

"It doesn't look like she's gained any weight. Why wouldn't her favorite dress fit?"

"Quinn, isn't it obvious?" The look of confusion on Quinn's face answered Kurt's question. "Think back to that spring session of health class in junior high."

"I don't know what to remember; I may have missed that the week my family died."

"And Mrs. Schuester never had this talk with you?"

"Talk?"

"She probably already thought you had it. Oh, how can I phrase this delicately," Kurt looked to his stepbrother for help. "Finn?"

"Sorry Kurt, even I don't get it," Finn admitted.

"Seriously?" Kurt looked at their blank faces. "You two don't..." he sighed. "Trust me: nothing is wrong with her."

"So you know what's going on?"

"Sure do; but I want to think of an exciting way to tell you."

"Exciting?"

"Mrs. Schuester is...oh that word is so improper to use in polite conversation. Mrs. Schuester is... _in the family way_." Blank stares. " _Enceinte_?"

"We don't speak Spanish, Kurt."

"French, Finn. Oh how else—she's expecting!"

"Expecting what?"

"She's pregnant," a new voice grabbed the group's attention. "Birds and the bees. The stork. Having a baby. Sheesh, how much more obvious can this guy get?"

"And who exactly are you?" Kurt asked him with a sneer.

...

Following the events at the park, Puck opted to head down the streets of Lima least likely to have policeman on it. This lead him to the more upscale part of the city. He let out a snort. "Snob Hill." Puck walked down the streets hoping to "find" some money when something, or more appropriately some _one_ caught his eye. "And who do we have here?" he decided to go in for a closer look at the girl.

"Mrs. Schuester is... _in the family way_ ," a redheaded boy was talking. " _Enceinte_?"

"We don't speak Spanish, Kurt," this one was a tall, brown-haired boy that Puck rolled his eyes at.

"French, Finn. Oh how else—she's expecting!"

"Expecting what?" Could the guy really be that dumb?

"She's pregnant," Puck interjected himself into the conversation. "Birds and the bees. The stork. Having a baby. Sheesh, how much more obvious can this guy get?"

The redhead, Kurt, sneered at him. "And who exactly are you?"

"Let's just say I'm a man about town," Puck focused on Quinn. "Listen, Blondie, nothin' to be ashamed of-"

"My name is Quinn," Quinn coldly interrupted. "And _I_ am not the topic of discussion."

"I know: usually women with the title 'Mrs' have a wedding band on their finger. I was gonna tell you not to be ashamed of your lack of smarts. Most blondes I know got nothin' going on up there anyway."

"Well I'm sure I'm not like the blondes that _you_ know. And forgive me for not being entirely familiar with the facts of life; I must have missed that course when I was orphaned."

"You can't always use a tragedy as an excuse. Trust me," he took the empty seat next to Quinn. "My guess is you don't have much experience around babies?"

"And you do?"

"Sure. I practically helped raise my little sister. Though to be fair I was a bit younger when the 'blessed event' occurred. Let me tell you Blondie-"

"Quinn. My name is Quinn."

"Really? I figured a rich gal such as yourself would have a name like Margaret, or Katherine, or Lucille-"

"Do you have a point?"

"It just don't sound right."

" _Doesn't_ sound right."

"Yeah, like good grammar is really that big of a deal. I'm just sayin' I've never heard of any upper class society gal named Quinn; it _doesn't_ sound right."

"Well it's my name."

"Yeah, I'm gonna call you Q."

"My name is-"

"Listen Q: you strike me as the girl who's almost always been the center of attention. Well things are gonna change, and you ain't gonna like it. And you better hope you got a good maid service 'cause it's a lot of work taking care of babies; a mother can't, and won't, do it all on her own."

"I don't have maid service." Puck laughed at this. "What is so funny?"

"A princess without servants."

"My adopted guardian prefers that we do for ourselves: it's how he was raised."

"While you were raised with maids until you were 'tragically' orphaned at...I wanna say twelve."

"How did you guess?"

"That's about the time a young lady such as yourself learns the facts of life. I figured with the death of your parents you must have had at least a week off of your fancy school learning. Getting back on the subject of babies: you lose more than just attention and leisure time. Babies cry. A lot. You'll pretty much have to go around the schedule of a person that can't even hold it's head upright. Especially at night when you're trying to get your beauty sleep—not that you need it."

"Thank you?"

"I guess you should be lucky you're made of money 'cause babies are expensive. Any of our hard earned money was primarily spent on taking care of my sister. Not just my sister, but my mother had needs when she was pregnant. You won't believe the weird food that she just _had_ to have. One time Pop had to find an open market at one in the morning just to get Ma some specific kinda watermelon or somethin'. When he protested, she had one of the biggest fits. Women are most emotional when they're carrying for two." Puck paused in thought. "I've covered the basics and given you some creative ways to announce a pregnancy; but I still feel like I'm missing somethin'." He thought about it. "Oh, invest in some good perfume."

"Why?"

"You'll smell."

"I'll _smell_?"

"Trust me."

"Come on Quinn," Finn spoke up, "you don't know all that's true."

"Do you have any experiences with babies?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Does Prince Priss over here have any experience?"

"I don't think so," Finn turned to his stepbrother. "Do you, Kurt?"

Kurt, meanwhile, was glaring at Puck. "What did you call me?"

"Yeah, what did you call him?"

Puck ignored them. "Take my advice Q. This is one of those instances where actual experience is more helpful than anything you'll read in a book. I'm certainly more help than Tweedle-Dumb and Tweedle-Dumber over there."

Kurt angrily rose to his feet. "That's it! You have no business here. Get lost or else."

"Or else what? You'll call the police? I guess it's a crime to dispense advice to those who really need it."

Finn was the next to stand. "My brother told you to leave."

Puck eyed the tall brunette. "Let me guess: quarterback on your school's football team?" He also stood. "You don't scare me. I've taken down guys like you in less than thirty seconds. But because there is a lady present, I will respectfully step down." Puck turned to Quinn and bowed. "Until we meet again." She gave him a cold look as he left.

"Don't pay any attention to him, Quinn," Kurt told her.

"Yeah," Finn agreed. "You're probably never going to see him again."

* * *

 **I realized I cut out more than I thought. Looking back I pretty much got rid of all of the scenes before we meet Tramp. I did try to reference the 'Trusty lost his sense of smell' plot point with Finn having no sense of direction because I plan on using that later. And that scene where Puck is making faces at a random baby is similar to the scene where Tramp is interacting with the puppies in the pet shop window.**

 **I also wasn't sure how to structure the scene where Tramp rescues Peg & the Bulldog from the dogcatcher so I created that scene with Rachel and Officer Tanaka. I gotta tell the Lady & the Tramp story, but I also gotta keep Glee canon.**

 **Am I crazy for doing this? The answer is most likely yes. But I hope there's someone crazy enough to stick with this story too.**


	3. A Baby Changes Things

**Continuing on...**

* * *

 _August 31, 1909_

Quinn busied herself in the hallway mirror as she waited for Will and Emma to take her to dinner at her favorite restaurant. After the doctor confirmed what had already been suspected, the couple had spent the majority of the day making telephone calls to various friends and families. While Emma was in the middle of her (hopefully) last phone call, Will was putting up next year's calendar in the hallway. He flipped to the designated month. "It should be about…" he chewed on the pencil as he paused in thought. With a resigned sigh, he circled the entire month of April.

"I don't know if I got the chance to give you a proper congratulations, Mr. Schue," Quinn finished tightening the ribbon in her hair. "I am very happy for you and Mrs. Schue."

"Thank you, Quinn," Will thanked. "Emma and I are very happy too."

"It must feel nice starting a family," she smoothed her dress.

"Yes, it is." Will gave her a skeptic look. "Are you implying anything, Quinn?"

"It's just I've never been around anyone expecting baby; not like this anyway. The only time was when my sister's friend Lucy hosted a baby shower and even then it was only for a couple of hours. That was nearly two years ago."

"What did she have?"

"A boy. She named him after her husband; which is a very old-fashioned thing to do if you ask me."

Will chuckled. "One Will Schuester is enough, right?"

Quinn smiled. "If you're not going to choose a name that you like, I think you should give your child a name with meaning. That's what I'd do. Why name it after someone who's alive? Why do they need honoring?"

"A fair point." Will cleared his throat. "You're not...involved with another boy are you?" Quinn looked at him. "I mean you are old enough and a lot of girls your age have gotten married and few are starting families of their own...have you…you have had the talk right?"

"Mrs. Schue and I did this afternoon. I know it's a little late, but better late than never. She had already assumed I had the talk with one of my teachers or family members, but was happy enough to inform me where babies come from." This nearly made Will choke. "You two don't have to worry about me."

"We'll always worry about you, Quinn." His smile was genuine.

"I know," she flashed him a smile before looking back at her reflection.

Her thoughts drifted to the boy she had met earlier that afternoon. " _Things are gonna change, and you ain't gonna like it_." What did that boy know? Sure things would change, but not that much.

They couldn't, right?

...

 _Thanksgiving, 1909_

"...for what we are about to eat," Will was finishing up the Thanksgiving prayer. "Amen."

"Amen," Quinn and Emma chorused.

"Let's eat!" Everyone began helping themselves. "It all looks very delicious Em," Will complimented.

"Thank you," Emma had sort of separated an assortment of strange food concoctions to the side. It hadn't been too long into the meal before she gasped.

"What? What is it?"

"This isn't the right watermelon!"

"What?"

"I wanted the yellow watermelon!"

"Emma, Sweetie, that's all they had at the market."

"B-b-b-but I need the yellow. You have to get the yellow."

Will let out a disbelieved laugh. " _Now_?"

"Yes."

"Emma, it's Thanksgiving; the market's closed. I doubt there's any place that's open." Tears began to flood Emma's eyes and her lip was quivering. "Honey, I can't-"

"You don't care about me!" an upset Emma ran out of the dining room in tears.

"Emma!" naturally, Will chased after her.

Quinn sat alone at the Thanksgiving table astounded by what just happened. Emma had never done that before; she would always excuse herself from the dinner table. However, the biggest thing that left an impression on Quinn—in addition to learning yellow watermelons existed—was something a certain someone had told her months ago that seemed of no importance.

 _"One time Pop had to find an open market at one in the morning just to get Ma some specific kinda watermelon or somethin'. When he protested, she had one of the biggest fits."_

"Watermelon?" She gave this consideration for a moment. Could it have been a coincidence that the food he happened to mention was the food Emma was craving? Quinn shrugged. "Perhaps watermelon makes the best nourishment for the baby," and then she helped herself to some dinner.

...

 _Christmas, 1909_

"This time next year we'll be celebrating with a new addition," Will beamed with pride as they finished opening their Christmas presents.

"Making it an even merrier Christmas," Emma kissed him. "I think I'm going to go lay down."

"You sure?"

"For a while. I'll be up around lunch."

"Alright, get some rest," Will gave her another kiss as Emma went to their bedroom.

Quinn looked around. "Was that all the presents?"

"Looks like it. Were you expecting anything in particular?"

"No. No, I got that new blouse I asked for. And my other gifts were just lovely. I hope this doesn't sound ungrateful: but I think there weren't as many gifts this year."

"You ought to be grateful Quinn, some people can't even afford Christmas gifts for their families."

"It was just an observation."

Will pondered this. "You're not wrong."

"I'm sorry if I sounded selfish."

"I guess it's just me being frugal. Emma and I saving most of our money for the baby."

"I couldn't help but notice that the baby didn't get any presents this year," Quinn jested.

This made Will laugh. "Oh I'm sure we'll make up for that. It'll probably get more presents before it's birthday."

"Huh," something dawned on Quinn. "I just realized something, Mr. Schue."

"What?"

"The baby and I will share the same birth month. I was born on the third of April and the doctor said the baby's due that same month. I guess I shouldn't expect a lot of presents for my birthday either."

"Quinn-"

"I'm sorry, that was supposed to be a joke. Frannie was always the funny one in my family anyway."

"Well, you're not wrong about that either. I was totaling up all of the expenses for this baby. I should be so lucky that I have the financial security I do now because if I was living only on my teacher's salary...I don't know how we could manage."

" _I guess you should be lucky you're made of money 'cause babies are expensive_ ," there was that boy's voice in her head again.

"But don't worry," Will brought Quinn back to focus. "We'll make sure to get you something nice for your birthday. After all, sixteen is a very special age for a young girl."

"I'll be done with school at sixteen," Quinn noted.

"That's quite an accomplishment."

"What else do you think will happen when I'm sixteen? Do you think I'll have my first beau at sixteen?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe I'll go to a university like Frannie planned."

"There's no telling what the next year holds for you."

"And just think: next year you're going to have a child all your own."

"And I can't wait."

"Neither can I."

...

 _January 21, 1910_

"Quinn," Will called to Quinn as she passed the open nursery door, "we could use another woman's opinion." She entered the nursery where Will and Emma were waiting.

"Which of those wallpaper patterns is the most gender neutral?" a very visibly pregnant Emma asked her. "I personally think the light green is the best option."

"And I think the sky blue would look the best."

"Isn't blue the designated boy's color?" Quinn asked him.

"I said the same thing," Emma told her.

"Do you know what you're having?" Emma shook her head. "And there's no way to tell?"

"I'm afraid not. That's why I feel the light green is the better option."

"And I thought the color of the sky would be a warming, welcoming choice," Will explained.

Quinn surveyed the options. "I agree with Mrs. Schue: I think light green is the best option."

Will sighed in defeat. "Alright, alright, majority rules. Quinn, help me put up the wallpaper."

"What, now?"

"I'll let you change into something you could get messy."

"Can't you do this by yourself?"

"It'll be much faster if I have someone to help me."

"Mrs. Schue, you're not helping?"

"I have to limit my physical activity," Emma explained. "Quinn, please, we would like to get this done."

"Alright, I'll help put up the wallpaper."

"Thank you."

Quinn went into her bedroom to change into something more suited for decorating a nursery. " _And you better hope you got a good maid service 'cause it's a lot of work taking care of babies; a mother can't, and won't, do it all on her own_ ," there he was again.

"I very much doubt it will be _a lot_ of work," Quinn said to thin air. After choosing an outfit, she scoffed at what he had said. "He probably thinks that because he's poor."

...

 _February 19, 1910_

The house was a bustle with a bunch of people on the day of the baby shower. The women were gathered in the parlor, the men in the den, and Quinn had to play hostess.

"Hey you!" a bitter voice caught her attention. "You need a refill at the refreshment table. It's not my party, don't expect me to do anything." The voice belonged to a tall, middle-aged blonde woman with short hair. "I'd fill it up before a riot breaks out."

"The punch bowl is half full and I brought out some more cups," Quinn tried to be polite as she answered back.

"I'm talking about in the den."

"How do you know? The den is for the male guests."

"Where else is a gal supposed to smoke?"

"Sue!" one of the more perkier female guests ran over to her. "Oh Sue, you just have to see this darling outfit Holly got for the baby."

"I don't have to, and I don't want to. Now why don't you go watch our guest of honor open presents for the unborn child she and her husband will be having while you lament about how you'll be a spinster for the rest of your days. Go on." The woman left. "Those refreshments aren't gonna refill themselves, Missy."

 _What a horrible woman_ , Quinn thought as she readied some more refreshments. _Almost as horrible as that boy._

" _I guess it's a crime to dispense advice to those who really need it,"_ she could hear his words ringing through her mind.

 _I don't know why I'm still thinking about him_. Quinn carried the refreshments into the den. _I'm never going to see him again._

...

 _April 23, 1910_

Most rainy nights Quinn would sit comfortably at the window seat reading a book and catching glimpses of the rainfall. Today she couldn't concentrate. Mr. Schuester's obsessive pacing was very distracting. Every now and then, screams could be heard from the upstairs bedroom despite the door being closed. Unfortunately for Quinn, they could be heard a lot easier if she was in her bedroom. _I wonder why childbirth is so long and painful_. Will stopped his pacing as he heard Emma scream. _I'm going to adopt all of my children._ Quinn let out an audible yawn as she looked at the grandfather clock. 11:06. _The only time I ever stayed up this late was New Year's Eve_.

A knock on the front door distracted her and Mr. Schuester. "I'll get it," Will answered the door. "Carole?" It was Finn's mother.

"I noticed your lights were still on and the doctor's wagon is still here," she observed. "Has Emma had the baby yet?"

"Not yet."

"Well I came over to extend the invitation for Quinn to spend the night at our house. Kurt is willing to share a room with Finn tonight to accommodate Quinn's sleeping arrangements. I figured the poor thing must be tired, and she has school in the morning."

"Thank you for the offer, Carole. Quinn," Will called Quinn over. "Mrs. Hummel has invited you to spend the night at her house tonight."

"Thank you Mrs. Hummel," Quinn thanked.

"It's the least we can do," Carole assured. "If you want, I'm sure I have a nightgown for you to wear."

"No, thank you; I'll go get my own."

"You may as well bring your uniform with you," Will told her before she made it upstairs.

"I won't come home until after school?" Will nodded. "Couldn't I be absent tomorrow?"

"Not this close to your commencement. Go on, go get ready."

"I'll wait for you down here, Dear," Carole assured her.

Quinn went upstairs and prepared an overnight bag. She couldn't help but flinch when she heard Emma cry out in pain. Quinn seriously doubted that book she and Emma read prepared them for the actual labor.

" _This is one of those instances where actual experience is more helpful than anything you'll read in a book_ "

"Get out of my head!"

Quinn pictured the boy bowing to her with that cocky smile on his face. " _Until we meet again._ "

"We will never meet again."

...

 _April 24, 1910_

Quinn eagerly rushed home from school the following afternoon. "I'm home!" she called out.

"Ssh!" she could hear Will shush her from another room.

"Mr. Schue!" Quinn hurried over to him. "Is it over? Is the baby here?"

"He's here."

"It's a boy?"

"I have a son."

"Congratulations!" Quinn enveloped him in a big hug. "How long ago was he born?"

"Nearly four in the morning."

"And you stayed up the whole time?"

"Sure did."

"So you got to see him after he was born?" Will nodded. "Who does he look most like?"

"It's hard to tell right now; but it's not that hard to tell who's hair color he'll have."

"Does he have a name?"

"Daniel"

"Daniel. Daniel Schuester. I like that name."

"I'm pretty partial to it myself."

Quinn smiled. "And how's Mrs. Schue?"

"Tired, but very happy."

"Can I see him?"

"He's sleeping."

The sound of Daniel's crying contradicted what his father had said. "Sure sounds like it."

"Well we're trying to get him to sleep. I know you've waited long enough, but we'll let you see him later when he's awake."

"Alright," Quinn resigned. "I'll be in my room." As Quinn made her way to her room, she heard something that caught her attention. Noticing the door to the master bedroom was ajar, she investigated the unfamiliar sounds that were noticeably coming from that room.

It was singing. Emma singing. Quinn had never heard this before. Will singing, sure; he was a music teacher. He loved to sing and would often be one of the first to break into song. But Emma? This was the first time she ever heard Emma sing.

And it was beautiful. She seemed so natural doing this. Almost as if there was a glow to her. Quinn watched as Emma gingerly put the baby in the cradle and softly began rocking it. Midway through the song, Emma noticed Quinn in the doorway. Without stopping the lullaby, she gestured for Quinn to come take a closer look at the baby. When Quinn felt a hand on her shoulder, she jumped.

It was only Will. He was giving her a reassuring pat. "Go on."

Quinn quietly entered the room and looked into the cradle. The sight before her took her breath away. There was little Daniel asleep in his cradle, tufts of red hair atop his head. He looked so tiny, so peaceful, and so beautiful. And there was even a nice smell to him. She softly caressed Daniel's face and she swore he smiled. What did that boy know? Daniel would be different, he would be unique.

Quinn kissed her index finger and then gently placed her finger on the baby's cheek. _Perhaps, maybe, someday, I'll have one of my own._

* * *

 **It's just the chapter that leads up to and then introduces the baby. It's kind of filler, but it's also kind of important. And because Tramp isn't in the movie for a while, I tried to feature Puck in here and I was actually pretty pleased with the solution I came up with.**

 **And I did my research: Daniel Schuester was born April 24. That worked because the baby in** _ **Lady & the Tramp **_**was also born in April. I wasn't sure when Quinn's birthday was, so I picked that month because her actress was born that month.**

 **Yes, Holly is supposed to be Holly Holliday. I didn't have a set character for the woman who approached Sue though. I thought I'd clear that up.**


	4. The Joke's on Quinn

**I was pleasantly surprised at how well the last chapter turned out. Looking over it I was pleased w/ the structure and subtle little hints of what's to come as well as various character interactions. I liked how while it bore some resemblance to the movie, it also seemed original and fit to Glee canon…**

… **then I realize I wrote it and I need to stop praising it. I'm also like, "how am I gonna do the next chapter?"**

 **Like this…**

* * *

Quinn appeared to be a natural as she sat in the rocking chair in front of the nursery window holding a four month old Daniel and singing his particular lullaby. She giggled as he yawned. "Such a big yawn for a little guy," Quinn let him grasp her finger. "Oh you're going to be such a lady-killer when you grow up."

"Emma!" Quinn was distracted by a breathless sounding Will running up the stairs. "Have you seen Emma?"

"She's taking a bath." Will ran toward the bathroom. Quinn laid Daniel down in his crib before hurrying after Will. "Mr. Schue, is everything o-" he tore open the bathroom door and closed it with a slam, "-kay?" When Daniel started crying, Quinn went back to the nursery. "No, shush," she took him in her arms and swayed him gently back and forth. "Everything's fine. Go back to sleep." She kept shushing him as he continued to cry.

The tail-end of a conversation could be heard as the bathroom door opened. "Emma, I need you to be with me. Please." Something was definitely wrong, but Quinn wasn't sure what and she couldn't hear what Emma was saying. "Alright, I'll see who's available." He ran down the stairs before Quinn could even say his name.

She waited until Daniel settled before laying him down in his crib and seeking Emma for answers. "Mrs. Schuester?" she tapped on the bathroom door.

"You can open the door Quinn," Emma assured.

Quinn did so. Emma stood in her bathroom frantically using a towel to dry her hair. "Mrs. Schue, is everything alright?"

"Well, no, Quinn, not exactly. Will's father suffered a sudden heart attack and fell down the stairs as a result of it. Will's mother telephoned for Will to come to Cleveland right away."

"Is he going to be alright?"

"We don't know," despite being in a rush, Emma was still peculiar about hanging used towels on the rack. "I have to start packing," she fast-walked toward her bedroom.

"Do you need me to help pack Daniel's things?"

"Daniel is too young to travel; the both of you are staying here."

"You'll let me watch Daniel all by myself?"

"No, Will is looking for someone to come help take care of the baby. I don't know how much good it'll do: it seems like everybody's on vacation now. The Hudson-Hummels aren't coming back until the first of September."

"What if you can't find anyone? Do you trust me to watch Daniel on my own?"

"Quinn, it's not that we don't trust you. We do, and you're wonderful with the baby; but you're not a legal adult and while you're living with us, we can't leave you alone without adult supervision."

"How long do you think you'll be gone?"

"I have no idea. If it was just for a few days we probably wouldn't be scrambling to find a sitter; but even Will doesn't know how long we'll be."

"You're not staying home, Mrs. Schue?"

"I want to Quinn, believe me I do. I don't want to leave my son." Emma sighed. "But Will is my husband and he needs me. If we could take the two of you we would."

"But you can't."

"I would feel so much better knowing you're here with the baby. You're the only other person who knows him best; and you're the only person we trust."

"Emma!" Will ran into the bedroom. "Emma, I found someone!"

"Oh, thank God."

"I don't think you're going to be too happy about it."

"Why? Who is it?"

"Sue was the only one available."

"Sue?"

"I know it seems like a bit of a risk-"

"SUE?"

"Emma, there's no one else."

"Who's Sue?" Quinn questioned.

"Sue's the physical education teacher at the school we work at. She has experience with kids and is the only person available."

"The school season is starting soon," Emma reminded. "She'll have to go to work."

"If Sue can't clear her work schedule she says she has two former students who will be willing to help."

"I don't know about this Will."

"We don't have a choice, Emma. She's not all that bad; you invited her to your baby shower."

"Because I invited all of the female faculty. I didn't actually think she'd show up. She doesn't care for us."

"But she's our last resort."

...

"Hello William," Sue greeted Will when she arrived.

"Sue," he acknowledged her, but not the two girls at her side. "Thank you again for-"

"I expect full payment for my services."

"Fine, fine. Emma's made a list of-"

"I'm sure your young ward will fill me in on anything important." Sue gestured to the two girls who looked about Quinn's age. "My associates will expect full payment for their services as well."

"Will they also be staying here?"

"Brittany and Santana will assume the childcare services in my absence, and go back to their respective homes when I return from work. I brought them here today on a sort of tour of their employment grounds." She gestured for them to step inside. "Feel free to make yourselves at home."

"Please don't get _too_ comfortable, ladies." The younger ladies flashed him sort of cold look and started to browse the house. "We'll leave the number you can reach us by the phone-"

"I know the routine, William," Sue picked up her suitcase and carried it upstairs as Emma and Quinn were coming downstairs. "Eleanor."

"Emma," Emma corrected.

"Don't you and your butt-chinned husband have a train to catch?" Sue threw her suitcase in the master bedroom as Emma and Quinn flinched at the subsequent thud it made. "Relax, I'll take care of everything."

"Thank you, Sue," Emma thanked before going back down the stairs. "Feel free to call us anytime you need anything Quinn."

"I will," Quinn gave Emma a hug. "Stay safe."

"Take good care of Daniel while we're gone."

"I will," Quinn then gave Will a hug. "Come home soon."

"We'll try," Will was the first to pull away. "Goodbye Quinn."

"Goodbye Mr. Schue. Goodbye Mrs. Schue." Emma gave another goodbye wave before she and Will got into the waiting taxi. Before the taxi began driving off, Quinn gave a final goodbye wave until her guardians were out of sight.

"This place looks expensive," Quinn heard one of the younger girls comment. "You're never gonna see homes like these in Lima Heights."

"It's like a really classy museum; but a museum you can live in that doesn't have dinosaurs," the other girl observed.

"Brittany, have you even been to a museum?"

"Hello," Quinn greeted to the girls.

The dark haired girl raised her brow in disdain. "What do you want?"

"I'm Quinn. I just wanted to welcome you to my home."

"We don't need your fake hospitality. We're staying here and you better get used to it."

"I was being sincere."

"Rich people are never sincere."

"Hi, I'm Brittany," the blonde girl with the high ponytail greeted. "That's Santana. We're helping take care of the baby."

"Brittany, this girl doesn't really give a damn who we are."

"Wow, that's mean."

"No, I really do care," Quinn defended. "If we're going to be helping each other, I'd like to get to know you better. Maybe we can all become friends."

"Don't believe her Britt," Santana ordered.

"I'm being honest."

"She says she's being honest," Brittany repeated to Santana.

"Who are you going to believe?" Santana questioned. "Some spoiled little rich girl who expects us to do all the work or your best friend who's always looked out for your best interest?"

"She expects you to do what?" no one had noticed Sue at the top of the stairs.

"Princess here expects us to do all the work."

"That's not true!" Quinn protested. "I wasn't-"

"Let's get something straight," Sue looked menacing as she made her way down the stairs, "We are your guests. As such: we expect to be treated as guests."

"You're here to help me take care of the baby."

"Right. Take care of the _baby_. Not the spoiled rich brat." Sue inched closer to Quinn. "Until Butt-Chin and Ginger return, I'm the one in charge. You will do as I tell you to do. Girls," now she was addressing Brittany and Santana, "go put your stuff in the guest room and relax until dinner's ready." Brittany and Santana nodded in unison and took their stuff upstairs. Sue then directed her attention to Quinn. "Shouldn't you be making dinner now?"

Quinn glared at her in response trying not to cry. From the moment she met Sue she knew she wouldn't like her and now she was sure of it.

...

Quinn loved Cinderella. There were times when she wished she could live out Cinderella's story. Now that she was, she regretted ever thinking that. For the next few days Sue acted as the evil stepmother to Quinn's Cinderella. Santana and Brittany also took to their roles as evil stepsisters when they were there. Admittedly, Sue did help a little with the baby, but not in the morning. Plus the only thing Brittany and Santana did regarding Daniel was complain about him. They also didn't take careful consideration when they helped themselves to everyone's (mostly Quinn's stuff). Quinn did try to stop them, and Sue would threaten to tell The Schuesters that Quinn was misbehaving and causing trouble. Naturally, Quinn would tell Sue they wouldn't believe her and she knew that. Sue responded by threatening to throw Quinn on the street. Of course Quinn would relent and then Sue would give her more work and Brittany and Santana would carry on doing what they shouldn't be doing.

But on the last day of the month, Quinn would discover the worst was to come.

It started out like a normal morning. Quinn woke up, took her morning bath, and then went to prepare Daniel's formula. "Oh no," this was the first sign something was wrong.

"What's wrong?" Brittany asked Quinn after she finished reading her _Mutt & Jeff _comic.

"I didn't realize we hardly had any formula. I have to tell Sue we need to go to market."

"I wouldn't do that," Santana told her. "Sue's not a morning person and she doesn't take kindly to people who wake her up. The Schuesters left their car here; we'll just drive to the store and pick up the formula before she wakes up."

"I don't have any money."

"Me neither," Brittany noted.

Santana groaned. "Well don't expect me to have any!"

"But you do."

"I'm sure I ain't got enough for the market _they_ shop at."

"Then we'll have to wait for Sue."

"Hold on," Santana looked at the formula. "You can get a brand exactly like this for cheap in Lima Heights."

"Lima Heights?" Quinn was unfamiliar with that.

"Of course you wouldn't know. Lima Heights is my neighborhood. We're gonna have to get it from there. Where are the car keys?"

"You know how to drive?"

"Duh. Where are they?"

"I don't know if this is a good idea. We should probably wait for Sue."

"You think that baby will wait? He'll wake up crying for formula, waking up Sue in the process, and Sue will be crankier than usual. Now is our best chance. Where are the keys?"

...

Quinn sat uncomfortably in the back seat as Santana drove through her neighborhood. Brittany noticed this. "I got kinda scared too when Santana first brought me here. It's not so bad once you get used to it."

"Yes it is," Santana argued. "Why do you think I spend so much time at your house, Britt?" She parked in front of a general store. "It's not safe to leave anything fancy unattended in a place like this so I'll wait with the car," she handed Quinn the money. "Here Princess: you and Brittany go get the formula." Quinn nodded as she got out of the car and put the money in her purse. "Hey," Santana stopped Brittany before Brittany got out, "remember the plan."

Whatever the plan was was giving Brittany doubts. "I'm not sure it's a good idea."

"We'll come back for her later."

"What if she's not there?"

"Then we'll tell Sue she ran away or somethin'. It's not like we're not coming back; it's a practical joke."

"This practical joke sounds pretty mean."

"Rich people need a good practical joke every now and then. Go on, go get the stuff for the baby."

Brittany got out of the car where Quinn was waiting. "It's not a good idea to be here alone."

"I didn't think so," Quinn agreed with her.

The two blondes went into the store in search of formula. "There it is," when Brittany saw it, she picked it up and left the store.

"Wait-" Quinn tried to stop her."

"Hey," the gruff man at the counter called to her, "you gotta pay for that!"

"We were going to," Quinn paid the man and headed for the exit.

"Hey! Get your change."

Quinn went back for the change. "Thank you." She put the change in her purse and stepped outside to discover the car was gone. Panicked, she looked around. No car in site.

This time, she couldn't stop the tears from falling. Standing there shedding tears in a scary looking part of town, Quinn quickly composed herself. _I'll find my own way home_. She looked around. _There has to be someone who can help me find my way home._

…

A bored Puck was mindlessly playing his guitar at his makeshift home when he heard noises coming from the nearby alley. This was confirmed when he heard, "Get the money!"

"Karofsky," Puck recognized the voice. It belonged to local bully Dave Karofsky, who was also head of his own small "gang". "The gang shouldn't be too far behind." Curious to see how they were going to come into money (and what those previous noises were), Puck diverted his attention toward the sounds. He then watched as some terrified girl came running into view clutching a purse, Karofsky and the gang giving chase. "Welp, time to go play hero." In these situations, Puck would secure a fight, win it, save the damsel, and get some sort of reward. He figured the poor girl was almost near the dead end fence so he took a shortcut that would enable him to climb said fence and hopefully stop the gang before they could get the purse.

…

"Get the money!"

Quinn kept running out of fear. So much for someone helping her find her way home. Unfortunately for her, she had run to a dead end fence and those bullies were closing in on her. "Stay back! Please!"

"Give us the money!"

Quinn threw the purse at them. "Take what you want. I just want to go home."

Still, they inched closer. "I bet we can make a pretty penny of the princess' jewels."

"No! Go away! Leave me alone!"

She screamed in surprise when a fourth guy appeared from seemingly out of nowhere—it took her a moment to process that he climbed the fence from the other side. She tried to keep out of the way as this new guy fought with the three attempted robbers. There was no way one guy could take on those three burly bullies.

But he did. He gave them some sort of finger gesture (most likely inappropriate) before picking up her purse. "Here."

And there was that all-too familiar voice of the boy she swore she'd never see again.

…

Puck flipped Karofsky and his gang off before reaching for the purse. "Here." He turned to get a good look at the girl. He recognized her in an instant."Q?" When he tried to get closer, she backed away. "What are you doing on this side of the tracks?" The next thing he knew, she flung herself into his arms and started sobbing. This did take him by surprise—he let out a 'whoa' and stumbled backwards a bit—but he soon found himself stroking her hair in a consoling manner. "It's okay," he assured her as she sobbed. "I'm not gonna hurt ya."

"I just want to go home," she managed to say through her sobs.

"I'll get you home, okay." He pulled her off of her. "You're a little ways from it, but I'll get you home." She took back her purse and got herself a handkerchief. "Stick with me, Q; I'll keep you safe."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Maybe it was that she was in a dangerous part of town. Maybe it was that she was scared. Maybe it was that this boy saved her. Whatever the reason, Quinn trusted him.

And maybe he wasn't so bad.

* * *

 **I'** **m trying to include Puck/strong mentions of Puck in every chapter so I stopped it where I did. The movie is Aunt Sarah coming, the Siamese cats, the muzzle, Lady running away, Tramp coming to her rescue, and then the zoo/beaver scene. I figured it'd be best to stop where I did because the next chapter is just the equivalent of Lady & Tramp spending time together after the part with the beaver.**

 **I'll admit, Santana & Brittany were hard to write for. Si & Am were intentionally mean and the consequence of their actions led to Lady getting the muzzle and running away to an unfamiliar part of town. I kind of came up with them abandoning her where they did as a last minute thing, but I thought it worked…**

… **they probably won't make another appearance in this story though.**


	5. La Bella Notte

**I'm pretty sure most of you have been waiting for this chapter. Hope I don't disappoint.**

* * *

The second time Puck asked Quinn what she was doing in this neighborhood, he listened intently (something he usually wouldn't do concerning women). They walked through the area; Quinn telling her story and Puck listening. After it was over, Puck seemed incredulous. "And you want to go back there?"

"I don't know where else to go," Quinn explained.

"Can't fault you for thinking that. You really shouldn't be in this neck of the woods; especially with money and jewels." He noticed the jewelry around her neck. "I don't remember seeing that one last time. I think I'd remember a necklace with a blue chain."

"It's a _locket_ and it was my birthday gift this year." Puck made some sort of noise at that. "What?"

"That's some birthday gift."

"Thank you," if she was aware of his sarcasm, she didn't show it.

"You got a picture of anyone in that _locket_?"

"Not yet. I was thinking about putting a picture of Daniel in there."

"Daniel your boyfriend?"

"Daniel's a baby. He's the reason I have to go back home."

"Oh yeah: last time we met you said the lady you were living with was pregnant. It's been a year: she must've had the kid at this point."

"Four months and...seven days ago."

"So April?"

"April 24th. My birthday's also in April, but on the third."

"Yeah, I don't really care."

"When's yours?"

"Do you honestly give a damn about that?"

"Yes, I do. Pardon me for making conversation."

There was a pause in said conversation before Puck broke it. "I'm actually kind of impressed you want to go back to that house with those nasty women and a baby—that says a lot about you as a person—but how come you aren't staying those boyfriends you were with?"

"My _friends_ are vacationing in Chicago like they do every year around this time. Last year they came home early, but this year they had to stay an extra day. Apparently Finn suggested they take a shortcut and got them lost."

"And you don't have any other _friends_?"

"None that will let me stay with them."

Puck scoffed. "Some friends."

"I'm surprised you're not suggesting that I stay with you. I doubt your reason is impropriety."

"What?"

"You're reason for not asking if I want to stay with you; I doubt the reason is because it was improper to ask that."

"Do I really give a damn about what is and isn't proper?"

"I can tell you don't."

"If you must know: I didn't ask you to stay at my place because I don't have a place for you to stay."

"You don't?" Puck shook his head. "What about your mother and sister?"

"They're dead."

"Oh. I'm so sorry. Pardon my asking, but did you lose them in an accident?"

Puck shook his head. "If it was an accident, I probably coulda helped 'em. Can't really do nothin' 'bout them dying from pneumonia."

"What about your father?"

"Not around."

"You mean he abandoned you?"

"A few months after my sister was born. I was ten."

"So you're an orphan?"

"Not in the legal sense 'cause my father's still alive."

"But why did you talk about your family like they were still around?"

"I didn't. I was talking about past experiences so it's natural to talk about them in the past tense. I'm not gonna use a tragedy to gain a little sympathy; it's not gonna go a long way. At least not for a guy like me. Let's just drop the subject okay."

"There is one more thing."

"What now?"

"You never told me your name. You know my name. At least have the decency to tell me yours."

"It's Puck."

" _Puck_?"

"Yeah, _Puck_."

"What kind of name is _Puck_?"

"My name."

"Is it short for something?"

"Puckerman."

"What kind of parent names their son _Puckerman_?"

Puck couldn't help but laugh at that. "Puckerman's my _last_ name."

"Oh."

"Well what kind of parent names their daughter Quinn? I don't know any rich person with a name that simple."

"Honestly, my name's not Quinn."

"No kidding?" Quinn nodded. "Well, it can't be short for anything."

"Remember when you listed off those names? Margaret, Katherine, Lucille?" Puck nodded. "My real name is Lucy."

"Lucy?"

"Lucy Quinn Fabray. Everyone called me Quinn for as long as I can remember. The reason was my sister Frannie didn't want me to share the same name as her best friend."

Puck pondered what she said. "Good call on your sister's part." He looked at her. "Quinn suits you much better anyway." Quinn smiled at that. "You wanna know somethin'?"

"What?"

"Lucille was the only random rich name I guessed. Margaret and Katherine were the names of my mom and sister, but they were known as Maggie and Katie. Lucille was a complete guess. I had no idea it was that close your real name."

"Now tell me your real name."

"Fat chance, _Lucy._ "

"It's only fair! I told you mine; you tell me yours."

"My name is Puck. Plain and simple."

"No it's not. And I'm going to find out what it is."

"Good luck with that."

"At least let me try."

He let out a sigh. "Okay, try."

"I'll have to narrow it down a little." Quinn tried to do so. "I'm guessing it's a dignified name."

"Why's that?"

"Well you said Margaret and Katharine were your mother and sister's names; those names are dignified. You could have a name like Robert, or Edward, or Benjamin."

"Yeah but wouldn't my nickname be Bobby, or Eddie, or Ben instead of Puck?"

"Fair point. So a dignified name that can't be shortened." Quinn thought about this. "Are you named after your father?"

"No."

"Then you most likely have a name with meaning." She put some more thought into it. "Is your name Biblical?"

"It ain't Jesus."

"There's no need to be blasphemous."

"It was a joke."

"Is your name in the Bible or not?"

"I don't know; I never read the Bible. I just know Jesus is in it."

"Have you ever been to church?"

"Do I seem like the kind of guy who goes to church?"

"You seem like the kind of guy who built up an image and is trying to keep up with said image." This took Puck by surprise. "Why, I don't know."

"You know somethin', you're pretty smart for a blonde."

"Thank you, I guess."

"It's not fair that you get both beauty and brains."

"Beauty?" this got Puck to freeze. "Do you think I'm pretty?"

Puck loudly cleared his throat ready to change the subject. "Man, am I starving. Are you hungry?"

A ghost of a smirk was on Quinn's face. "Yes, I am; thank you for asking." Quinn tried not to gasp when he took her hand. "What are you doing?"

"Come on," he started leading her in a new direction.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm taking you someplace nice for dinner."

"And I suppose I'll have to pay for it?"

"No, no, it's my treat," he turned down an alley.

"Please tell me we're not eating out of the dumpsters."

"Give me a little credit." Puck let go of her hand and tapped on the back of the door.

A large woman with short, curly hair answered Puck's knocks. When she saw who it was, she laughed. "Well, well, if it isn't Mr. Puckerman."

"Hey Beiste," Puck affectionately greeted her.

Beiste noticed Quinn "I see you brought a lady friend with you." Beiste stepped outside and shook Quinn's hand. "Nice to meet you, Punkin'."

"She calls everyone that," Puck explained.

"Now what's a nice girl like you doin' 'round these parts with a boy like that?"

"I...got lost," Quinn didn't want to burden the woman with the long story. "Puck's helping me find my way back home."

"Sure am," Puck seemed proud of this, "but first I thought we'd stop for a little somethin' to eat."

"If it's not too much of an inconvenience," Quinn interjected.

"My goodness you're so polite," Beiste observed. "You're not like the other ones Puck's brung over before."

"Other ones?"

"Say Beiste," Puck was obviously trying to change the subject again, "you think we can get the special tonight?"

"Alright," Beiste agreed. "I'll have Sam set a table up back here," she went back inside.

Puck turned to Quinn. "I thought I'd take you somewhere nice for our anniversary."

Quinn quirked a confused brow. "Anniversary?"

"We first met a year ago today," he informed her. "I did the math."

Quinn also took a second to do the math. "You're right. I can't believe you remembered."

"It's kind of hard to forget meeting someone like me," there was that smirk of his. Quinn gave him a playful shove. "Anyway, you deserve a little something nice after all the hell you went through."

"So this is like a date?"

"Date?" Puck took a second to consider that. "Yeah, sure, why not."

"I've never been on a date before."

"Especially not with someone like me?"

"You're not so bad, Puck. I think you're a pretty decent person who doesn't give himself enough credit."

The sound of Sam setting down a table on the ground distracted them. The two watched as Sam went back for some chairs and set them beside each other at the table. "Here's your table for this evening."

Beiste came back outside with a bowl of breadsticks. "Complimentary breadsticks," she set the appetizer on the table. "And the spaghetti special will be up soon."

Sam pulled out a chair for Quinn. "Here you go, Miss."

"Thank you," Quinn thanked without noticing Puck's jealous side-eye to Sam.

"My name is Sam by the way...in case you need anything from me."

"Thanks Sam," Puck rather bitterly thanked. Sam then went back into the kitchen.

"He was just being helpful. You didn't have to be so rude."

"I said 'thanks' didn't I?"

"Here," Sam nearly threw a guitar at Puck when he stepped back outside, "you left this here this morning."

"I know I did. I didn't need it today; I was coming back for it tomorrow."

"This isn't your own personal storage shed, Puck, it's a place of business."

"Don't you have some sauce to marinate or something?"

Sam directed his attention to Quinn. "I know this is none of my business: but you can do so much better than him."

"You're right: it is none of your business."

"Hey! Hey!" Beiste came back outside carrying a large plate of spaghetti and meatballs. "No fighting." She set the plate down on the table along with two forks.

"Damn, this looks good," Puck snatched his fork and began scarfing down the spaghetti.

"Do you two need anything else?"

Quinn looked disgusted as she watched Puck shove large portions of their dinner on his small fork and into his mouth. "Some napkins, perhaps."

"Sure," Beiste went back for some napkins. "Holler if you need anything else."

"Thank you."

"Yeah, thanks," is what Puck appeared to say with his mouth full of spaghetti.

"Come on Sam," Beiste began leading Sam inside. "Back to work we go."

"Coming," Sam followed her inside, stealing one more glance at Quinn before heading back to his station.

"Pretty little thing isn't she?"

"Yeah. What do you think she's doing out with a guy like Puck?"

"It's none of our business."

"It's just...that girl seems really special. She doesn't deserve the same treatment Puck gives the other girls."

"She isn't like the other girls." Beiste smiled. "I saw him get jealous when you pulled out her chair. He's never done that before." Sam gave her a disbelieved look. "No, it's true. I've seen him here many times with many girls but somethin' about this one is different."

"How so?"

"I think he actually cares about her."

Back outside, Quinn was helping herself to one spaghetti strand at a time while Puck continued eating multiple pieces on one fork. Unbeknownst to each other, both of their forks had taken hold of the same noodle. One side of the large noodle was in each of their mouths. As they both tried to eat it, the spaghetti was inadvertently bringing them closer to one another. They hadn't noticed this until their lips smacked together.

And for Quinn, this made for a pretty unforgettable first kiss.

Embarrassed, she shyly turned away from him. With a smile, Puck used his fork to push the last meatball closer to her. "Thank you," her voice was nearly breathless. After that, they stared into each other's eyes for a few moments unaware that Beiste and Sam were watching.

Beiste gave Sam a playful nudge. "What'd I tell ya?"

Sam waited until she turned away before rubbing the spot where she nudged him. "Ow."

Puck took a couple of breadsticks and wrapped them in a napkin. "Whaddya say we get out of here?"

"Where would we go?" Quinn asked him.

"It's a nice night. Why don't we just sit out and watch the stars for a while?"

"That sounds lovely, Puck."

"Wait here."

"Where are you going?"

"I know someone who lives 'round the corner who can let me borrow their car. Stay here, I'll be right back."

"Promise?"

"Promise," Puck ran toward his destination.

Beiste came back outside and sat next to Quinn. "Did you enjoy your meal?"

"It was delicious, thank you," Quinn complimented.

"Feel free to recommend this place to your friends. It's called The _Bella Notte_."

" _Bella Notte_?"

"It means beautiful night in Italian. At least that's what they tell me." The two shared a laugh. "Well little lady, it appears you have an admirer."

"You think so?"

Beiste nodded. "And it's safe to assume the feeling is mutual?"

"I don't know, maybe. I've never been with another guy before."

"So tell me before he comes back: how did a sweet girl like you meet a boy like that?"

"The first time we met was at my house. Ironically it was a year ago, today."

"Fancy that."

"I thought he was irritating, and rude, an arrogant sort of show-off who thinks he's a charmer."

"A pretty accurate description if you ask me."

"I also thought I'd never see him again."

"So how'd you end up here?"

"It's really a long story."

"Then tell me how you two ended up meetin' again."

"He saved me."

"Saved you?"

"Some bullies were trying to rob me but Puck came to my defense and fought them all. Then he promised to help get me home safe."

"What did you give him?"

"Pardon."

"When Puck goes to rescue the damsel he usually expects some kind of reward. He saves you, helps you home, and treats you to dinner. You must've given him some nice reward."

"Actually, I haven't given him anything. Should I have?"

"I think maybe you already have." Beiste stood up. "I have to get back to work. I hope you get home safe."

"Thank you."

"Don't be a stranger," Beiste closed the door behind her leaving Quinn alone in the alley.

But she wasn't alone for very much longer. "Okay," Puck had returned, "I got us a car." He led her to the car. "Watch your step," he helped her into the car before getting in himself.

"Don't forget your guitar," Quinn reminded.

"Oh yeah," Puck went back for his guitar (and the last of the breadsticks). "Is that everything?"

"I believe so."

"Alright," he started the car, "let's go stargazing."

"Where will we be stargazing?"

"I know a spot. A lot of people go there to watch the fireworks, but lately it's become a popular hot spot among young lovers—if you know what I mean."

"I don't think I do."

"That's where they go to...please tell me you've had the talk."

"Yes, why?"

"It's where a lot of couples go to...to be _romantic_ with each other."

"Oh," Quinn seemed to understand.

"It's part of Lima Park—which is pretty much the middle-ground in our town."

"And you're taking me just to _stargaze_?"

"I won't try anything with you unless you want to."

"But we're not married."

"You don't have to be married to be intimate, Q."

"You don't?"

"Heck no. I mean, yeah, it's probably the proper thing, but couples don't just do it to breed. Some do it for pleasure."

"Pleasure?"

"Why do you think they call it 'physical pleasure'?"

"I've never heard that term before."

"Oh. Well...I won't try anything with you unless you want me to. There are some creeps who do it without a woman's consent."

"Rape?"

"Okay, you seem to know that term."

Quinn surprised him by placing her hand on his knee. "I trust you, Puck."

"You do?"

"I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt me."

There was a pause for a short while before it was broken with, "Noah."

"Noah?"

"My name...it's Noah. Noah James Puckerman born February 19th, 1894." Quinn smiled at him. "I believe you were also curious when my birthday was." He noticed her smile. "What?"

"I like that name. Noah. Noah Puckerman."

"Yeah well don't go spreadin' it around the whole neighborhood, _Lucy._ " Puck turned down a dirt road.

"You're not entering through the park entrance?"

"Nope," it became evident that Puck was driving at an incline. "It's not as special when you go in through the park."

"What's not as special?"

The car came to a stop. "The view." Puck hurried out of the car to help Quinn out. When she did see the view, it literally took her breath away. "Makes it easier to stargaze from up here. It's also a little more private." Puck went back to the car, took the napkin with the breadsticks, and laid it out like a picnic cloth. "I know it's not much of a picnic, but-"

"It's enough." The two of them sat down on the hill and stared at the view below them. "It's really too much."

"No, it's really not. It's probably nothing like you're used to."

She kissed his cheek. "It's more than enough"

Puck rubbed the spot where she kissed him. "What'd you do that for?"

"I realized I never properly thanked you for saving me."

"You didn't have to."

"Well I didn't thank you for all you've done for me today. Think of that as my anniversary gift to you."

Puck grinned. "I knew you were somethin' special the moment I laid eyes on you, Q."

Blushing, Quinn bit her lip and looked away. "It's not really dark yet."

"So?"

"How can we stargaze if it's not that dark?"

"Okay, so what do you suggest we do until it's your definition of dark?"

After putting her purse in her dress pocket, Quinn took Puck's hands in hers and lifted him up. "There's something I want you to do with me."

"Yeah, sure, you name it," Quinn started pulling him down the hill. "Where are we going?"

"I want you to help me find the fountain."

"The fountain?"

"When I was little, I got lost in the park. Before I found my family, I found this beautiful marble fountain. At the fountain, there was this girl my age throwing coins into it. I asked her why she was doing it, and she said if you throw a coin in the fountain and make a wish, it'll come true."

"Do you really believe that?"

"There's only one way to find out."

"Are you sure the fountain's still there?"

"Yes, I'm sure; and I remember crossing a small wooden bridge to come to it."

"I thought you wanted me to take you home?"

"I do."

"This park is huge, Q. We're probably gonna spend a good chunk of time looking for this fountain that it'll probably be September by the time we find it."

"Please, Noah," she gave him a little pout.

Puck groaned in annoyance. "I hate when girls use that face on me." He let out a resigned sigh. "Alright, we'll find your fountain."

Quinn let out an excited squeal before giving him another kiss on the cheek. "Thank you." She tugged on his arm. "Let's go this way!"

...

"There it is!" While it did take a while to find the fountain, they did find it.

Puck looked around. "I thought you said there was a bridge."

"It must be on the other side. I told you the fountain was still here."

"Yeah, yeah, you were right."

"Come on," Quinn ran toward the fountain. When she stopped, she took out her purse. "Here," she handed Puck a penny. "Apparently it's best if it's a penny." He took the coin from her. "Now you close your eyes and make a wish—but keep it to yourself—then you throw the coin in the fountain."

"With my eyes open or shut?"

"I don't think it matters. You go first."

"Uh-uh, ladies first."

"Alright," Quinn shut her eyes tight, silently made a wish, opened her eyes, and threw the penny in the fountain. Curious, she and Puck went to see where it landed.

"Damn!" Puck saw all the coins at the bottom of the fountain. "Look at all the money these suckers throw away."

"Your turn, Puck."

"Do I have to?" Quinn nodded. "Fine, I'll indulge in your silly little game." Quinn rolled her eyes as he closed his. He opened them shortly after and then threw his coin in the fountain. "There, happy?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Is there anything else you want to do?"

"Well...I think I want to watch the sunset. Can we make it back to the hill in time to do that?"

Puck looked at the sky. "Yeah, I think so."

"Do you remember the way back?"

"Yeah, I think so."

...

A little over a half hour later, the twosome sat at the edge of the hill watching the sunset. "I think I got it wrong," Quinn broke the silence.

"What?"

"I've seen the sunset; it's just been a while. Don't get me wrong: it's still beautiful to look at, especially from here. I meant I wanted to watch the sun _rise_."

"If you wanna see the sunrise you'd have to spend the night here."

"That car has a blanket."

"It does?"

"It was draped across the back of the seat."

"Was it? Huh, I didn't notice. Wait, hold on: you want to sleep _here_?"

"If it's the best place for me to see the sunrise later."

"Yeah, but I wasn't gonna keep you here all night. I figured we'd look at some stars and then I'd drive you home."

"I don't have my house-key; I wouldn't be able to get in unless Sue left the door unlocked."

Puck scoffed. "Please: I could show you a few tricks of the trade."

"You've snuck into people's houses?"

"Once or twice."

"Noah!"

"Relax, I've stopped that. I started getting blamed for burglaries that weren't my fault so I stopped sneaking in people's houses."

"It appears I'm in the presence of a common sneak thief."

" _Former_ common sneak thief."

" _Former_ common sneak thief."

"I am perfectly capable of doing other, _legal_ things."

"Like playing the guitar?" She gestured to his instrument.

"Yeah, sure, I guess."

"Did you take lessons?"

"I kinda taught myself. I don't think I'm really qualified to be a musician."

"Have you written any original compositions?"

"I play whatever I feel like playing."

"What do you feel like playing now?"

"It isn't that romantic if you ask me to serenade you."

"Were you planning on doing that?"

"No, but I guess I will now." Quinn smiled as he reached for his guitar. "Any requests?"

"Play whatever you feel like playing."

"Okay, but just the one part." Quinn nodded her approval as he readied his guitar. "So, uh, this from a song that just came out not too long ago. I thought it was kinda lame, but now...not so much."

 _"Let me call you 'Sweetheart', I'm in love with you_ _  
_ _Let me hear you whisper that you love me too_ _  
_ _Keep the love-light glowing in your eyes so true_ _  
_ _Let me call you 'Sweetheart', I'm in love with you."_

Puck noticed Quinn was doing her best not to get misty-eyed. "Was it so bad it made you cry?"

"It was beautiful," she quietly commended.

"I heard a bunch of losers singing it a week or so ago, but no one really gave a damn—myself included."

"Puck."

"Yeah?"

"You don't have to be like this with me," she scooted closer to him. "I like the real you. I prefer the Noah to the Puck."

"You'd be the first."

There was a bout of silence for a moment before Quinn got up. "I'll go lay out the blanket."

"'Kay," he watched her head back to the car for said blanket. As she did, he also got up.

Quinn laid the blanket down and turned back to discover Puck wasn't there. "Noah?" Certain noises got her attention. Puck was over at a tree carving into it with a pocketknife. "What in the world are you doing?"

He pulled away to reveal his creation. "It's a heart." He carved a heart into the tree. "I saw some jerk do this for his girlfriend, and I wanted to do it for you. I know it seems a little crooked, but I'm not really that good of an artist."

"That's really sweet of you, but it's missing something."

"It is?"

"May I?" He handed her his knife. She went over to the tree and made some adjustments. Said adjustments were the letters _P_ and _Q_ inside of the heart. "The couple will put in their initials in the heart to let the world know that they love each other."

"And you put 'P' and 'Q'?"

"Puck and Quinn."

"Makes sense." Quinn gave a small giggle before leading Puck back to the blanket. "It's okay for me to lay here with you?" Quinn nodded. "Alright, if you're sure." The two of them laid on their backs and watched the night sky. "I think people should do this more often. Just go out, lie on the grass, and look up at the sky."

"It is pretty."

"It gives a person peace and quiet, and time to think about things."

"What are you thinking about?"

"I don't know. The only thing on my mind is you." At that moment, they both turned and looked at each other. "I don't think I've ever felt this way about anybody."

"Me neither."

Neither of them seemed to notice they were leaning in for a kiss. But when they did, Puck pulled away. "I can't do this. I care about you, Quinn. I don't want to do anything you'll regret. I never want to hurt you." Quinn cupped his face in her hands and pulled him in for a tender, yet still passionate kiss. When they pulled away, Quinn communicated with a look told him everything would be okay. "Are you sure?" A simple nod was all she gave in confirmation. He let out some sort of laugh before he pressed his lips to hers.

And everything was going to be okay.

* * *

 **I'm gonna be blunt when I say this: yeah, they had sex. I tried to keep it clean and subtle (though the movie did a much better job of it).**

 **I did my research: "** _ **Let Me Call You Sweetheart**_ **" apparently had sheet music in 1910. When in 1910 I don't know. So if it came out after August, I apologize for the anachronism.**


	6. The Same Puck

**I hope that last chapter was long and romantic enough, because things will take a slightly different turn in this chapter.**

* * *

The sight of the sun starting to rise on the first day of September was enough to rouse Puck from his sleep. He wanted to sit up, but there was something preventing him from doing so. Looking down he saw that Quinn had fallen asleep in his arms. _Damn she's beautiful_ , he thought before he placed a gentle kiss atop her head. This got Quinn to stir. "Hey," he whispered right before she opened her eyes, "mornin'."

"Good morning."

"Listen: I don't want to sound like a jerk; but you gotta get off of me."

"I'm comfortable," she sleepily protested.

"Yeah, yeah, but I gotta answer the call of nature."

"Charming," Quinn moved off of him.

"You wanted to watch your sunrise, right? That was the whole reason for us staying here all night. Can't really watch it if you're sleeping."

"You are going to watch it with me, aren't you?"

"Actually I thought I'd try to see if one of the food vendors started their rounds and get us a morning snack. Maybe I'll make it back in time to catch the very end of it or somethin'."

"Here," Quinn reached into her purse and gave him the last of her money, "I want you to get the food the right way."

Puck took the money from her. "Looks like you've turned me into an honest man, Q. Wait for me here; I'll try and hurry."

"Puck," she waited for him to turn around, "I love you." His response was breaking into a wide smile before running off. For Quinn, it was sufficient enough. She knew he loved her back, but he was afraid to admit it. They did spend most of the night talking, getting to know one another and Puck swore he never wanted to be like his father and that if he ever settled down, it would be with his soulmate.

" _How do you know if you found your soulmate?" Quinn had asked him._

 _Puck let out an annoyed groan. "Is it really so important for you to know?"_

" _Noah!"_

" _Okay fine. God, it'll sound so corny."_

" _To you it might. It may very well sound romantic to others." Puck rolled his eyes. "Now answer the question: how do you know if you found your soulmate?"_

" _It'll be the one I can't imagine_ not _having in my life. The one I want to wake up next to every morning and fall asleep with every night. The one who's happiness I'll put before my own. The one who I start my family with. The one I'll die for," Puck stared into her eyes. "It'll be the one I say 'I love you' to; the only one I say it to."_

Puck did love her, but he wasn't quite ready to say it yet.

" _Let me call you sweetheart_ ," Quinn was softly singing to herself before her reverie was interrupted by a police siren.

Police siren? Quinn turned to see the police wagon coming to a stop behind the car. Confused, she watched as a policeman got out and inspected the car. "Matches the description to a tee." Looking away from the car, he noticed Quinn. "Miss." Quinn pointed to herself. "Yes, you."

Smoothing her dress as she stood, Quinn went over to the cop. "Is there something wrong, Officer?"

"I need you to come with me to headquarters."

Quinn was dumbfounded by this. "Headquarters? You mean the police station? Have I done something wrong?"

"I'm going to need you to come to headquarters to make a formal statement. Until then, you have the right to remain silent; anything you say can and will be held against you." He led her into the wagon. "If you ask me: a girl like you shouldn't have anything to worry about; but this is standard procedure."

They were gone by the time Puck came back.

...

"You have no right to do this!" this had to have been the hundredth plus time Rachel Berry used that specific protest over the course of their incarceration.

Leaning against the wall on the bench, a boy in a blazer began to stir. "Blaine," the boy in glasses beside him noticed him open his eyes, "did you sleep?"

"How could I with Sister Suffragette protesting all night?" Blaine answered back. "Any of you manage to get through to her?"

"No," the three other boys in the cell answered as one.

"Miss Berry," the officer at the desk interrupted Rachel's rant, "I don't know how many times I have go over this: you and your troupe here broke the law and are required to spend a minimum of twenty-four hours in here unless someone posts bail."

"I believe I am entitled to a phone call," Rachel reminded.

"The phone hours are from seven a.m. until seven p.m. You have less than a half hour before you can phone your father."

"Hold on," the other girl in the cell approached the bar, "you mean to tell us it's almost 7:00 in the morning?"

"That's right, Miss Jones."

Miss Jones turned to Rachel. "You have been talking non-stop for almost ten hours!"

"I have been arguing for our freedom, Mercedes." Rachel pointed out.

"It's your fault we're in here! We probably would have been fined for putting up the posters without a permit, but you just had to run your mouth!" Mercedes looked at the officer. "What are our arrest charges again?"

"Disturbing the peace, resisting arrest, and refusing to pay the fine for advertising without a permit," the officer explained.

"See, me and the boys," Mercedes gestured to the boys, "we can only take credit for the posters. Miss Berry was the one who started the argument with the officers and then _loudly_ disrupted the peace by resisting coming down to the station."

"It says here your registered vehicle was also illegally parked."

The boy of Asian descent raised his hand. "Yeah, that was me, sorry. In my defense, I only intended to park there no more than five minutes."

"That's when Rachel had to go and get us arrested," the final boy spoke with an Irish brogue.

"And keep us up all night with her 'arguing for our freedom'," the boy in glasses added.

"Well," Rachel seemed offended, "it's nice to know that the members of my performing troupe all stick together."

"The posters were also her idea."

"Shut up, Artie," this elicited a few snickers.

Suddenly, there was something else that caught everyone's attention. Another police officer was leading a new girl about their age into the back. "You'll have to wait in here until we can call your guardians, Miss Fabray," he opened the door and stood aside so that she could enter the cell. "It's procedure. And I apologize for the misunderstanding. I have to report your official statement now." Miss Fabray didn't speak as the officer left.

Mercedes went over to Quinn. "Welcome to the chain gang," she joked to ease the tension. This didn't seem to get a response. "Despite the circumstances, it is nice to meet you, Miss Fabray." Again, no response. "Should you decide to talk, I'm Mercedes Jones."

"And I'm Rachel Berry," Rachel introduced. "I'd be more than happy to talk to you."

"The problem is getting her to stop talking." Rachel huffed at that. "If you don't want to talk to us girls, you can always talk to the guys. "There's Blaine Anderson," Mercedes was introducing them from right to left, "Artie Abrams, Mike Chang, and Rory Flanagan."

"Hi," all four boys simultaneously greeted her.

"What are you all doing here?" was the first thing Quinn said aloud.

"It's her fault," once again, the boys were in unison—even as they pointed to Rachel.

"Judases," Rachel muttered under her breath.

"We probably would've only got fined for hanging up posters without a permit," Artie noted.

"Yeah, and maybe for illegal parking," Mike added.

"But our quote ' _leader_ '," Blaine put a bitter emphasis on that, "started a rather loud argument with the police getting us for disturbing the peace and resisting arrest."

"I know you," Quinn directed this to Blaine. "I've seen you walking my friend Kurt home before. You're the Blaine he talks about it."

"I guess I'm guilty of that. You must be Quinn." Quinn nodded. "Pardon me for asking: but how does a girl like Quinn Fabray wind up in a place like this?"

"I doubt it's Rachel's fault," Mercedes commented.

"What goes around comes around," Rachel uttered under her breath.

"I'd really rather not talk about it," Quinn admitted.

"It's some misunderstandin'," Rory pointed out, "So whatever the reason, it's not her fault. A wrong place at the wrong time situation."

"Like she's getting the blame for what someone else did," Artie deduced. "Is that close, Quinn?"

"Yes, I suppose," Quinn answered back. "I mean, I thought it was something I did at first. But now..." she sat on the opposite bench, "...I just don't know."

Mercedes sat next to her. "You'll probably feel better if you tell us what happened." The boys chorused their "Yeahs" and "Tell us".

Quinn relented. "I was at Lima Park watching the sunrise when the officer came and told me I'd have to come in to make a statement. I thought it'd be best if I stayed quiet until I came to the station, so I did. My first thought was: I'm not supposed to be at the park this early, or maybe I'm not supposed to be in that specific area."

"That doesn't seem like something you'd be brought into jail for. Sure, they might fine you, but why did they bring you here."

"They wanted to talk to me about a stolen car."

This perked up the guy's interest. "Stolen car?" "Did you really steal a car?" "What happened?"

"I didn't steal the car," Quinn assured as she leaned back against the wall. "I guess I'm ashamed to admit the truth." With a sigh, she confessed. "I spent the night at Lima Park with another boy." This even caught Rachel's attention. "He drove me there to stargaze and we stayed there so I could see the sunrise. He was supposed to take me home."

"But he wasn't there when the police came?" Rachel inquired. Quinn shook her head no. "Oh, how awful."

"He said he was coming back. He was just going to see if any vendors were open" Quinn scoffed. "I even gave him the last of my money." Mercedes made a disapproving noise. "I can't believe I..." this is when Quinn started sobbing.

"There, there," Mercedes took Quinn into a comforting embrace. "It'll be okay."

"You're a pretty little rich girl who didn't do commit any legal wrongs," Blaine pointed out." I wouldn't be surprised if you were the first one out of here."

"I just want to go home," Quinn cried. "He was supposed to help me home."

"Well I for one am dying to know one thing," Rachel sat beside Quinn, "Who's the boy? Is he a boy from our side of town?"

"Rachel!" Mercedes admonished.

"You can't blame a girl for wondering."

"Heck, even I'm curious," Blaine admitted. "It doesn't sound like the kind of boy from our neck of the woods."

"You know who it sounds like?" Mike asked. "It sounds like Puck,"

Mike's casual statement caught Quinn off guard. "Puck?"

"Let's hope a girl like you doesn't mix with a guy like that."

"Puck?" Rachel recalled a previous incident. "I had the misfortune of crossing his path last year."

Quinn decided to play dumb. "Who's Puck?"

"He calls himself the town bad boy," Artie started explaining. "He kind of is in all honesty. He's always getting in trouble, but they haven't caught him yet."

"He gets away with everything because they can't prove he did it," Mercedes interjected. "Lord knows they've tried to catch him; he always manages to give the police the slip."

"He does the same with the ladies."

"Is this Puck the love 'em and leave 'em type of fella?" Rory inquired.

"If I ever see him around town it's never with the same girl. I can't even keep count on my hands how many different girls there have been."

"Puck? I think I heard this name before. Brittany might've mentioned him."

"Is Brittany that girl your family works for?" Mike asked him.

"I may have heard her and her girlfriend Santana mention this Puck character before. I don't know if it should be repeated in polite conversation; but apparently he's taken both of those girls to bed on more than one occasion."

Rachel was the only one to let out an audible gasp. "He's been intimate with other girls and didn't marry them?"

"It's not a crime if the girls give their consent," Artie brought up.

"I honestly wouldn't be surprised if a girl was the reason he finally got caught," Blaine verbalized that thought.

"How do you mean?"

Quinn had stopped listening as everyone went on about Puck. If they had gotten together, she probably would have been more understanding, even forgiving about his criminal past—she did know the truth about his background. Beiste had mentioned "other ones". Quinn did not suspect anything more than a goodnight kiss before moving on to another girl. But bedding them? Some on more than one occasion. There was also the fact that he did that with the two girls who were relentlessly cruel to her.

"...wind up in jail because of her," Quinn managed to catch that part of Blaine's little speech.

Mercedes nearly laughed this off. "Get real, Blaine: Puck would never get serious with a girl."

"Alright ladies," the policeman began unlocking the cell, "it is now 7:00; you may make one phone call."

"Finally!" Rachel nearly ran out of the cell and toward the phones.

"Miss Fabray?" Quinn looked up at the officer. "You may have your one phone call." Quinn got up and followed the officer toward the phones. Reaching for the device, she stopped herself. "What's the matter?"

"I can't do it," she spoke quietly.

"What's the matter? Don't you want to go home?"

"I can't do it."

The officer put a reassuring arm around her shoulder. "Would you like me to make the phone call on your behalf?" Quinn nodded. "Okay: what's the number?" She gave him the number. "Why don't you go have a seat over there?" Quinn did as she told.

"Yes, Daddy, hurry," Quinn had inadvertently caught the end of Rachel's phone call. Hanging up, Rachel turned to a second officer standing guard. "My father has agreed to post our bail."

The cop pointed to a set of chairs. "Go sit over there until he gets here."

"Thank you," Rachel sat beside Quinn. "Looks like we're all getting out of here." Quinn just nodded to her. "It was Puck wasn't it?" This got Quinn to look at her. "That boy? It was Puck, wasn't it?"

"I can't believe I was so stupid," despite her feelings, Quinn couldn't get angry. "I even told him that I loved him."

"Did he say it back?"

"I thought he would. Nope. He just left me there with nothing. He even told me that I turned him into an honest man. And I fell for all of it, including him."

"I'm really, truly sorry."

"Is it wrong to want to live in denial? To believe that the Puck I gave my love to isn't the same Puck with the bad reputation."

"You really do love him, don't you?"

Trying to keep a poised demeanor, Quinn couldn't help the few tears that shed. "I wish I never met him."

* * *

 **I wasn't sure how to work it in: but those are supposed to be the 'bunch of losers singing' that Puck mentioned in the last chapter.**

 **Not as long as the other chapters, huh? Piecing everything together, I'm fairly certain the next chapter will be longer and more climatic.**


	7. Unexpected Strangers

**I did the math: this story's gonna have 9 chapters. This one is probably gonna be the longest of the following 3 because it deals w/ 2 plot points: the tramp's return and a dramatic battle. The following chapter's gonna be the effects of said battle, and the final will be a happy ending.**

 **So that's why this one is climatic.**

* * *

Quinn was desperate to keep her night with Puck a secret. When Sue picked her up at the station, however, Sue couldn't be fooled. She had this unmistakable sense of knowing when someone had been intimate.

"So the boy you were with deflowered you?" this was the first thing Sue had asked when they were alone. Of course, Quinn was shocked by that. "I have my ways of knowing. Despite the circumstances, you're still basking in the afterglow—which means you clearly enjoyed it." That certainly made Quinn blush. "Ah well; we all make mistakes." Was this Sue's way of being understanding? "You live, you learn." She paused. "You know this is something you're gonna have to tell Ginger and Butt-Chin yourself?" Quinn nodded. "Good girl." She helped Quinn into the house. "You'll probably want to go and clean up, so go do that. And don't worry: your dirty little secret's safe with me." Grateful, Quinn flung herself into Sue's arms and wept. "Okay, get off," Sue pushed her off.

"Thank you, Sue," Quinn genuinely thanked the older woman.

"Yeah, well, I hope you realize this is the only nice thing I'm ever going to do for you."

"I understand."

"Good; now go wash off your shame."

...

It took a lot for Quinn to forget about that night she spent with that boy (his name hopefully soon to be erased from her mind). This was something she never spoke of and something that her mind would deny or quickly move on from. She focused her time on taking care of Daniel and the house, spending time with friends, and trying to learn new skills so that her thoughts would be occupied. She would also make a point to visit Kurt every Wednesday afternoon for all the latest town gossip that she could share whenever Will and Emma called (Santana or Brittany had lost the number Will and Emma left for them). By mid-October, the events of that August night and September day were almost a forgotten memory.

Almost.

Kurt had suspected something was up when Quinn didn't show up at his house this particular Wednesday. He went into the parlor where his father was reading the newspaper, headlines of the 'Bloody Bandit' plastered on the front page of this week's (and last week's) edition. "That's not too far from here," Burt Hummel had said as Kurt entered the parlor.

"Dad," Burt folded down the paper and looked at his son, "has Quinn come by today?"

"No. Were you expecting her?"

"Well, yes, actually I am, she comes over every Wednesday. Do you think something happened?"

Burt shrugged. "Maybe you should try going to her place today."

"I suppose I could. Though I'd really rather not while that horrid woman is there."

The front door opening and quickly closing caught their attention as Carole came running into the parlor. "Burt, it's happened again! That murdering burglar struck in Elida, and that's not even ten miles from here! I want to change the locks!"

Burt groaned. "Just because a burglar strikes in a neighboring town doesn't mean he'll show up in Lima. And if he does, what are the odds he'll hit up our house?"

"Is that burglar the same 'Bloody Bandit'?" Kurt inquired.

"'Fraid so, son. Papers say he's an escaped prisoner who's been sneaking into people's houses these past couple of weeks and killing any potential witnesses with a switchblade—though once or twice, he's strangled 'em."

"Oh, I don't want to hear any more of this!" Carole protested.

"Carole, Lima has got to be one of the safest places there is."

"I'm taking no chances. We are going to buy new locks, no discussion."

"What good is it gonna do if he gets in through the window?"

"We'll have to buy the necessary protection for windows too."

"We have a gun."

"You don't know how to use that thing!"

Once the arguing started, Kurt decided it was best to get out of there and pay Quinn a visit. When he stepped outside, he discovered his brother in the front yard tossing a football. "Hi Finn."

"Hey Kurt," Finn greeted back. "Kurt, I was wondering if you'd come over to Quinn's with me."

"I was just headed over there myself. What's wrong?"

"I saw her hurry into her house like she was crying. Do you think she's okay?"

"There's only one way to find out," together the brothers went to her home and knocked on the door.

A miffed looking Sue answered. "Well, well, well if it isn't one of Quinn's potential suitors. Which one of you did it?"

Finn and Kurt exchanged glances. "Did what?"

"I'll talk to them," Quinn was at the bottom of the stairs. "They're my friends: they deserve to know."

"Fine," Sue allowed, "but not in your room. Carry out this little conversation in the backyard."

Quinn nodded and headed for the backyard, Kurt and Finn not too far behind. "Hello boys."

"Quinn," Kurt sat on the patio bench beside her, "what's going on?"

"Is everything okay?" Finn questioned with concern as he sat in front of the bench.

Quinn was trying to keep a composed demeanor. "No, everything is not okay. Something happened while you two were gone. Something that I swore I would never tell anyone, but evidently I'm going to have to despite it not being proper conversation."

Kurt patted her hand. "Tell us in any way that's easiest and most comfortable for you."

"Yeah," Finn nodded in agreement. "We're your friends, we'll understand."

Quinn took a deep breath. "I had a scheduled costume fitting today at the boutique. I was going to dress as a storybook princess for Tina's Halloween party this year and I had put a dress on reserve last month. I tried it on today, but..."

Kurt gestured for her to continue. "But?"

"It was tight." Kurt gasped in understanding.

"Is that it?" Finn, however, didn't understand. "Can't you have it altered or something?"

"Finn!"

"What? Is there something I'm missing?"

"She's...how can I phrase this delicately?"

"I'm pregnant, Finn," Quinn confessed. "Sue took me to the doctor's, and the doctor confirmed it. I'm going to have a baby."

This astonished Finn. "You are? But you're not married."

"You don't have to be married to have a baby," Kurt informed him. "I mean, you should because it's improper for a young girl to have a child out of wedlock."

Finn rose to his feet. "Then I'll marry you, Quinn! I'll marry you and help raise the baby as my own."

"Oh Finn," Quinn gave him a sincere kiss on the cheek, "you're sweet, but I don't want you to have to do that. This isn't your responsibility."

"Who's is it?" Kurt questioned.

"Do we know him?" Finn asked.

"I believe you may have met him on one occasion," Quinn admitted. "If you don't recall meeting him, I'm sure you'd recognize him through his reputation."

"Reputation?"

"Are either of you familiar with the name _Puck_?"

" _Puck_?"

"The name rings a bell or two," Kurt noted. "I know I've heard that name somewhere before. Now, what was that you said about meeting him? We have met him at some point that you are aware of."

"What kind of name is _Puck_?"

"That's what you're choosing to focus on, Finn?"

"We've met a lot of guys, Kurt; you can't expect me to remember all of them. But you'd think I'd remember a guy with a name like _Puck_."

"That is a valid point; the name is rather unusual for someone who'd be in our social circle."

"It was last year," Quinn was going to see if they remembered. "It was the last day of August, you had just come home from Chicago. It was the day we learned Mrs. Schue was going to have a baby."

Some of it was coming back to Kurt. "Yes! Yes! Oh! I remember we were on your front porch swing when..." he gasped. "No?"

Finn didn't understand. "No what?"

" _Him_?"

"Him, who?"

"Knock, knock," as if on cue, the _him_ in question indicated his presence before entering the backyard through a loose fence board.

Now Finn got it. " _Him_?"

"Seems like I missed some interesting conversation," Puck made his way over to Quinn. "Listen, Q: I was hoping we could talk." He noticed the looks he was getting from Finn and Kurt. "Preferably without the whole neighborhood listening in." Quinn crossed her arms and turned her back to him. When Puck tried to face her, she turned away again. "I know I haven't really been around much, but I really gotta tell you my side of things."

"Quinn, if this guy's bothering you-"

"No need to make a scene," Quinn interrupted. "I think it's best you two leave. I can handle this on my own."

Kurt stood up. "If you're sure."

Finn was still unsure. "Okay, but we'll be close by if you need us," together, he and Kurt left.

"Seems like they remember me," Puck tried to ease any tension. "Not that I'm an easy guy to forget."

"Is now really the time for your jokes?" she coldly questioned.

"I came back for you, honest! _You_ were the one who was gone." Quinn huffed. "I still don't know what the hell happened. I figured maybe you were looking for me and got lost. I must've searched that whole damn park for you. You had me really worried, Q."

"I find that hard to believe."

"I know I haven't really been around, but I have. I've been skulkin' around your place waiting for the chance to see you again."

"Why?"

"Do I need a reason for wanting to see you? I missed you like crazy." She scoffed at that. "What?"

"When are your lies going to end?"

"What am I lying about?"

"The stolen car for one thing!"

"Stolen? I've taken that car from that lot before; the car doesn't belong to anyone."

"Yes it did, and you stole it! The police explained everything when they brought me to the station to make a statement."

"They arrested you? Believe me, Q, I had no idea that happened."

"No, you didn't. It's not like you would've known anyway. You weren't coming back for me."

"What?"

"While I spent some time in jail, I was informed of your reputation with the ladies," she couldn't tell if Puck had cringed or not, but he did look mildly affected by what she said. "You had the perfect escape from me, and you took it. What was it that Rory said? You're the 'love 'em and leave 'em type of fella'."

"That was different!"

"How?"

"I didn't want to be with those other girls!" There was a break in the conversation. "Quinn, I want to be with you. How can I prove that to you?"

"Do you love me?"

"Do I love you?"

"The last thing I said before we separated was 'I love you'. Do you love me?"

"Quinn," he was being serious, "I don't know if a guy like me is capable of love."

"I think that answered that question."

"Quinn-"

"It's getting late. You should go."

"If that's what you want, then fine, I'll go."

"And never come back."

"What?"

"I never want to see you again."

"I just told you I wanted to be with you, didn't I? I'm willing to prove myself to you! How am I gonna get the chance to do that if you want me out of your life?"

"If you care about me, then you'll respect my wishes. From now on if you come anywhere near me, I'll alert the police."

Defeated, Puck turned to leave. "Yeah, fine, whatever. Before I go," he reached into his pocket and threw the contents of it at Quinn, "you'll probably want your money back." he left through the broken piece of the fence.

Swallowing a lump in her throat, Quinn held back tears and went inside her house. Puck stood in the street watching her. She wanted nothing to do with him, and it was somehow all his fault. Though in all honesty: it was because he was too proud to admit that he loved her. "Guys like me can't love," he said to thin air as he slouched down the street with his hands in his pocket. As he turned the corner, he noticed a suspicious looking stranger looking eyeing different houses up and down the block. Immediately, Puck didn't trust him.

Especially when the stranger began eyeing Quinn's house.

...

Quinn couldn't sleep that night. It wasn't so much because of the rain and occasional thunder—after all, she found those comforting. The reason was primarily due to her conflicting emotions. After that backyard farewell, Will and Emma telephoned to say that they would be coming home the next day. Will's father's health had improved and his broken leg had healed. Sue celebrated this by helping herself to a few drinks and promptly passing out on the couch. And while Quinn was excited for Will and Emma to come home, she was also petrified at the thought of telling them that she was carrying the child of the local bad boy. How were they going to react? They had been gone so long helping to take care of Will's father that they were unaware of so many changes.

Her thoughts were distracted by Daniel's cries. Putting her pink robe over her nightgown, she went into the nursery. "Ssh, Daniel, it's okay. I know you don't like the thunderstorms." Too focused on Daniel, Quinn failed to notice someone was opening the nursery window from the outside. She was pacing back and forth, swaying Daniel as his cries only got louder. It was as if he noticed the stranger in the bedroom. "Calm down, Buddy, it's alright. I'm here." Daniel only wailed louder as if he were trying to warn her. "Daniel, I-"

Quinn was interrupted when the stranger grabbed her from behind and held a knife to her back. "Put the baby down, and nobody gets hurt," the gruff voice commanded. Nodding, Quinn laid Daniel back in his crib. "Where do you keep all the valuables?"

"Take whatever you want, just don't hurt the baby."

"I wouldn't be too worried about that baby."

"What about a girl who's carrying a baby?"

"You think that's gonna garner any sympathy. You—and your unborn baby—are witnesses."

"I don't know who you are and I promise I won't say anything."

"Damn right you won't."

"Let her go," this unexpected third voice didn't belong to Sue. Quinn quietly breathed out Puck's name as the burglar craned his neck to make eye contact with Puck. "I said: Let. Her. Go."

The burglar roughly shoved Quinn to the ground and lunged for Puck. This didn't deter Puck that much. His priority was to protect the woman he loved (who was apparently carrying his child). Puck got in some good punches, even a kick or two. But his opponent was pretty skilled at fighting as well. All poor Quinn could do was cower helplessly as they dueled across the room. The guy she told to stay out of her life was now fighting for his because of her. And she had to admit, she was very impressed with how well Puck handled himself in a fight.

Though to be fair, it was also pretty impressive that all the commotion didn't wake Sue up. With the fighting, Daniel crying, the men's grunts and groans, and Quinn letting out audible gasps, it was surmised that even an earthquake probably wouldn't wake Sue up.

A frightened Quinn watched as the burglar reached for his knife. He managed to get in a quick slice through Puck's hand before the weapon dropped to the floor. Again, this was hardly an inconvenience for Puck. Even with a bloody hand, he still put up a good fight.

It was fairly certain only one of these men was going to come out of this alive.

Continuing with the fight, the men didn't take into consideration the mess they had already made and at one point they lost their footing and a horrified Quinn watched as the baby's crib fell to the ground with the baby in it.

"Daniel!" Quinn's panicked cry for the baby somehow managed to distract Puck long enough for the burglar to attempt to strangle Puck. "NO!"

Puck elbowed his attacker in his ribs. When the attacker doubled over, Puck kneed him in the groin. Thinking he had a moment to catch his breath, he was caught off guard when a something sharp pierced him in the upper arm near the shoulder and Quinn screamed in horror. The shock of being stabbed sent Puck falling to the ground. With a growl, the burglar stood over Puck ready to plunge the blade into him again.

Both men were taken by surprise when Quinn, who was holding Daniel in the crook of her arm, threw one of Daniel's rattles at the burglar's head, distracting him from stabbing an already wounded Puck. "Missy, you just made a _big_ mistake," the burglar hissed at her.

Puck took this opportunity to trip the burglar. This sent him falling backwards, the switchblade falling out of his grasp and landing behind the rocking chair in front of the window. The fallen fighters were both in a race to get the weapon. And the burglar succeeded in reaching the switchblade first. Blindly waving the weapon to strike Puck, the burglar had cut the curtains down in the process.

 _The curtains!_ Puck took a cue from his attacker. He took the rope from one of the curtains and secured it around the burglar's neck; tightening the rope around the man's neck with all of his might. It didn't take too long for the burglar to fall to the floor unconscious and not breathing. Putting his sliced hand over his stabbed shoulder, a visibly wounded Puck hobbled toward Quinn.

"Oh, thank God!" Quinn gently laid Daniel by his crib before flinging herself into Puck's arms. He responded with a pained "OW!" "Oh, sorry," Quinn backed off of him. "Are you alright?"

"Don't worry about me. How's the baby? Is it okay?"

"I checked him over: he's fine, just shaken up."

"That's all well and good; but that's not the baby I'm talking about."

Quinn bit her lip. "You heard that, huh?"

"Why didn't you tell me, Q?"

She suddenly became defensive. "I do recall telling you to stay away, yet you show up at my house in the middle of the night-"

"I saw that guy roamin' the streets and I didn't trust him. You didn't see the way he was lookin' at your house and I was afraid he was gonna do somethin'. This town is talkin' about that guy who breaks into people's houses, steals their stuff, and kills them. I'll be damned if I was gonna let anything happen to you…or to my kid." There was a brief pause for him to catch his breath. "I promised I was gonna come back, didn't I?"

Quinn tore off a piece of the curtain and wrapped it around the cut on his hand. "Why is it that you're the one who's always coming to my rescue?"

"A guy's got a right to protect the girl he loves doesn't he?" She stopped tending to his wound long enough to stare into his very sincere eyes. "I love you, Quinn."

Quinn gave him a small smile. "Took you long enough."

He let out a disbelieved chuckle at that. "That's it? No 'I love you too'?"

"You have to earn it."

"I'm sorry: was that fight to the death not enough to prove that I love you?"

"It was more than enough!" This sounded like an outburst. "It was too much! You have done so much more than enough for me and when I tell you to stay out of my life, you come back and risk yours to save mine! How am I ever going to repay you for that?"

Another pause. "You didn't answer my question."

"What question?"

"Is the baby okay?"

Quinn laughed through her tears. "I think so."

"And its mother?"

"Its mother loves you too." The next thing either of them knew, they were leaning in for a kiss.

"What in the Hell?" but they were interrupted by an awake, angry-looking Sue.

* * *

 **Busted.**

 **So I'm gonna end this chapter here and then the next one goes right into what happens next.**

 **I kinda needed a rat basis so I created a bad guy. He's not based off an any character (not unless you have one in mind), he's just the antagonist who participates in the big fight scene.**

 **Two chapters to go everyone!**


	8. Aftermath

**I'm sure you're all dying to know what's going to happen next, so I won't keep you waiting. I'm also gonna keep it short.**

* * *

Sue had been passed out on the couch snoring and thinking the loud thuds, the screaming, and the crying were part of her standard alcohol-fueled dreams. When it all came to a stop, that's when she realized something may be wrong. Sue searched for a weapon, picked up a broom, and headed upstairs. The first thing that caught her eye: the knocked up young ward was tending to some strange boy. The second and more obvious sight: the giant crib knocked onto the floor, the baby laying in front of it, and no longer crying.

"What in the Hell?" still carrying the broom, Sue hurried over to Daniel and saw that he was awake, alert, and (fortunately) unharmed. Breathing a quick sigh of relief, she turned her attention to the girl and the boy. "Attempted burglary is one thing: but I do not take kindly to people who attack innocent babies."

Puck held up his hands. "Whoa, hey, this isn't what it looks like." Sue began swatting the broom at him. "Hey! Knock it off! Come on! Stop it!" She used the broom to usher him into the closet. Once he was in, she shut the door and barricaded it with the dresser.

The whole time Sue failed to notice the lifeless body behind the baby's crib.

Quinn got to her feet. "Sue, you don't understand-"

"Do you realize how stupid you were?" Sue yelled at her. "You are carrying a child inside of you; you can not rush into danger like that!" At least she cared.

She surprised Quinn by scooping her into her arms and carrying her to her room. "Sue! What are you-"

"I'm going to call the police and have them take that criminal away and then I'm going to call the doctor to check on you! Until then you are going to stay in here until tomorrow!"

"No! I have to-"

"Daniel will sleep in the spare cradle in the master bedroom with me tonight. I'll clean up any evidence before Ginger and Butt-Chin get home tomorrow!"

"Sue-" Sue closed the door. "SUE!" the door was quickly blocked with one of the shelves in the hallway (there really was no time to be in awe of Sue's nearly superhuman strength). "You can't keep me in here!" Quinn tried to escape, but attempts were useless. Not knowing what to do, she did what she always did and cried.

…

Opting to surprise everyone by coming home that same night, Will and Emma were the ones who were surprised when they saw the police wagon in front of their house—with someone being hauled into it. Emma let out a small gasp and grasped onto Will's shoulder. "Will!"

"Calm down, Em," Will was doing his best to keep up his calm façade, but when the doctor's wagon pulled up behind the police wagon, he hurried over to the officer. "Excuse me, Officer, what's going on?"

"No need for alarm," the officer assured him. "We're just picking up some petty thief we've been after for a while," the officer took hold of the horse's reigns. "Caught him attacking a baby."

"What?"

"My baby!" Emma sprinted into the house ignoring the crowd amassing in front of her house.

A pajama-clad Kurt and Finn exited their own house to join their parents in the crowd. "Mom," Finn was the first over to their parents, "what's going on?"

"Some kid tried to rob the Schuesters and attacked the baby," Burt answered for a stunned Carole.

Before the wagon pulled away, the brothers caught a glimpse of the would-be thief. "It's that Puck guy!"

Kurt glared in Puck's direction as the crowds began to disperse. "I knew he was trouble the moment I laid eyes on him."

"Yeah, but why would he attack the baby? I don't know anybody that would do a thing like that." A beat. "Kurt, do you think he came after Quinn?"

Kurt looked toward Quinn's bedroom window. "I'm not sure, but we have to find out."

…

Quinn had buried her face in her pillow and sobbed when she thought she heard a familiar voice. This was followed by the sound of the blockage in front of her door being moved and then someone knocking on the door. "Quinn!"

"Mr. Schue!" Quinn ran to her door. "Mr. Schue you have to help!" When Will opened the door, Quinn bolted out and ran to the nursery (completely ignoring the doctor). "NO!" the first thing that she saw was the open closet. "PUCK!"

When Quinn tried to run again, Will stopped her. "Quinn! Stop! Calm down!" He waited for her to calm. "Now: would you tell me what is going on?"

"Puck wasn't the criminal! He saved my life! He saved Daniel's life! Look, behind the crib!"

A reluctant Will did just that. "Oh my God!"

Emma entered the nursery with Sue behind her. "What is it, Will?" she screamed when she saw the lifeless body.

"Who is this?"

"He's the burglar!" Quinn excitedly explained. "He's the one who snuck into the house and tried to kill me! Puck was trying to save us! Please Mr. Schue we have to get him back!"

"You know something," Sue got a look at the man's face, "this is that wanted 'Bloody Bandit' from the newspaper."

"Puck saw him and in the neighborhood and got here in the nick of time. If he wasn't here, I'd probably be dead," she took a deep breath, "and so would my baby."

Emma gasped while Will gave Quinn a confused look. "Baby?"

"Ugh," Sue made a face of disdain, "I'm guessing that Puck kid is the father."

"Quinn?"

It took a moment for Quinn to speak up. "We have to get him back."

…

Finn and Kurt were standing in the open doorway when they heard Emma scream. Their curiosity overpowered their manners and they decided to go into their neighbor's house and listen at the bottom of the stairs. Naturally, they caught wind of what was going on.

"We have to get him back!" Finn raced out the door.

"What? Now?" Kurt chased after his brother.

"If we hurry we can stop the police wagon."

"But we don't know which way it went!"

"We _have_ to find it!"

"We don't even know where it is!"

"I can find it!"

"You!"

"I know I can find it!"

Kurt ran in front of him to prevent him from going any further. "Finn, you have no sense of direction!" rain started to fall. "And now it's raining!" They stood frozen for a second. "Finn, let's just go home. Once the doctor leaves, I'm sure the Schuesters will hurry down to the police station and work everything out."

Finn sighed. "We should at least try; but if you won't, I will."

Kurt stepped aside. "Lead the way, brother."

Finn gave him a brief smile before getting serious. He led the way with Kurt close behind—completely ignoring the fact that it was dark and rainy. They ran through the empty streets of the city eventually catching up to the wagon as it neared the station. "Puck!" Finn ran up to the back. "Puck, we're gonna get you out of there!"

"No rush!" Puck sarcastically called back to him.

"Finn," Kurt was too hyped on adrenaline to stop running, "what do we do now?"

"Try to get the officer's attention!" Finn told him. "Stay on that side and try to get him to stop the horse! I'll try it from the other side!"

"Got it!" Kurt kept running on his side while Finn hurried to the other. Together, the two brothers ran on separate sides yelling for the officer's attention. While they succeeded in doing that, they also managed to spook the horse. Startled, the horse began to buck. The officer tried to calm the horse while the wagon began sliding all over the wet road. Thankfully, he managed to jump off the driver's seat before the wagon toppled over.

"Ah!" an already injured Puck was thrown to the back of the wagon. "Dammit!"

He would have stayed down for the count if he hadn't heard a feminine "PUCK!" calling to him.

"Q?" pained, he inched toward the gated door. "Q!"

"PUCK!" Quinn had gotten out of her car before it came to a complete stop and ran over to the fallen wagon.

"Took you long enough."

She noticed him clutching his ribs. "Are you alright?"

"I've been better."

"FINN!" When Quinn heard Kurt's cry, she ran toward him. When she saw what Kurt had seen, she let out a loud gasp and covered her mouth with her hands.

When the wagon had fallen, it had fallen on top of Finn. "Finn?" Kurt touched his brother, but Finn did not respond. "No." Kurt staggered back sobbing. "No!"

Finn had been crushed under the weight of the wagon—visible hoof marks imprinted on the side of his face also indicated the horse had trampled him after he fell. It wasn't as though Finn felt it. He had died instantly.

Quinn knelt in front of her fallen friend. "Oh, Finn," she kissed her finger before resting it on Finn's cheek. "Thank you, my friend...for everything."

* * *

 **Boo me all you want, but I was planning on doing this the moment I put Finn as Trusty. Trusty did originally die in the written story and was supposed to in the movie. Personally, I wouldn't have minded if he died; but the folks at Disney felt it was too dark—and they probably wanted to do something with that "Ol' Reliable" running joke. It makes sense because Finn actually died on the show (and real life) and though it's never said why, a lot of people think it's a car accident. So this is kind of the equivalent of a car accident.**

 **But like I said, there will be a happy ending.**


	9. Epilogue

**Here we are folks, the last chapter...which is probably a little more** _ **my**_ **style than Disney's.**

* * *

The doctor had cleared Quinn and her unborn baby of any complications, much to everyone's relief. Puck, meanwhile, really had to count his blessings. As a result of his fight, he required stitches for the deep gash in his hand, he had twisted an ankle, sprained his lower back, did some good (almost serious) damage to his ribs, and he was very fortunate that the stabbing near his shoulder didn't sever any arteries. The police had also cleared him of any and all charges as a reward for bringing down that dangerous criminal.

The guilt over Finn's death, however, that wouldn't heal right away. Puck felt guilty that Finn died trying to save him. Quinn felt like she was a factor in Finn chasing after Puck and even regretted rejecting Finn's marriage proposal. And Kurt? If Kurt had gone back to tell their parents, they could have stopped his brother from his fate. If Finn didn't go after the police wagon, he still would have been here today.

Puck also felt terrible that he couldn't go to the funeral. "You need to rest," Quinn had played nurse to him while he recuperated in his temporary bedroom/the guest room.

He would immediately roll his eyes and groan. "I am resting, dammit! I need to get out of this bed!"

"The more you rest, the faster you heal. The faster you heal, the sooner we can get married."

"Yeah, yeah," some parts of his persona he wasn't going to change so easily. Noah Puckerman was tough, dammit! "I mean we gotta get hitched before you pop." He burst into laughter when her face expressed ire.

"That is not funny, Noah."

"What's-a matter, Q? Did the truth hurt?" She poked at a sore spot. "OW! Dammit, Quinn."

"What's-a matter, Puck? Did that hurt?"

Puck flashed his cheshire-cat grin at her. "You're really somethin', you know that?"

"I think someone told me once before."

...

While Will and Emma weren't exactly thrilled with Quinn's news, they warmed up to the idea rather quickly. Both Quinn and Puck were determined to accept responsibility for their child, and Puck even said he'd try "real hard" to get a "real job" to provide for his family. The older couple decided they would let the younger couple stay in the house with them on the condition that they marry (which the younger couple had no objections to). Of course, the wedding would have to wait until Puck had fully healed and after it had been an acceptable mourning period for Finn. Until then, they could save up some money to have a nice wedding.

A good portion of that money came as a result of Will and Emma docking a large sum from Sue's payment.

But when they did have the wedding, it was a small affair. It was held at the house on New Year's Day, 1911 with few people in attendance, the remaining members of the Hudson-Hummel family included. A proud Beiste was there and even catered the reception as a wedding gift. The wedding entertainment had been provided by Rachel Berry and her performance troupe (much to Puck's chagrin). The groom wore a traditional suit while the bride wore a pale yellow dress that managed to conceal her barely-there bump. It was just a typical wedding: Will walked the bride down the stairs (which substituted for an aisle), the bride and groom said their vows and 'I dos', they danced to Rachel's rendition of " _Let Me Call You Sweetheart_ ", and the main course at the reception was a spaghetti dinner.

"Dammit!" this time it was Quinn who uttered the swear.

"What?" her husband casually asked her as he overfilled his plate.

"There's no yellow watermelon."

With a sigh, Puck set his plate down. "Come on," he took his wife by the hands and led her into the kitchen. "I was saving this 'til we got on the train, but I guess one slice wouldn't hurt." He opened the icebox and took out a giant, yellow watermelon.

"How did you-"

"It was Mr. Schue's idea."

...

Now that they were married, Puck had the okay to share a bed with Quinn. Although _share_ wouldn't exactly be the best term. There was no nice way of saying his new wife was a bed hog. She also had a bad habit of tossing and turning and on a few occasions pushing him off the bed. So he would grumble, take a blanket out of the closet, and sleep on the nearby chair.

It was the gentleman thing to do, after all.

It was on a cold February night when something different had awoken Quinn from her sleep. She panicked for a second before realizing her baby was kicking her for the first time. It was an odd, yet strangely beautiful sensation that she wanted to share with her husband. "Noah," his "side" of the bed was empty (and partly occupied by her). He was in that damn chair again. Fearing any major movement would make the baby stop kicking, she decided to wake him by throwing a pillow at him. "Noah!"

That got him up. "The hell?" He saw Quinn sitting up in the bed. "What the hell did you that for?"

"Come here!"

"I'm comfortable."

"No, come here! You have to feel this!"

"Feel what?"

"The baby." He hurried out of the chair and sat on the bed next to her. "Here," she took his hand and guided it to where it had momentarily been active.

"I don't feel anything." He pulled his hand away. "You sure you didn't dream it?"

"I swear I felt it kick." She sighed. "I'm really upset, I wanted you to feel."

"Next time, okay," he went back to the chair.

"Maybe...maybe if you held me while we sleep you might feel it." With an annoyed grunt, Puck went back to the bed. "I hope it happens again."

"Don't hold your breath," he said as he held her. "Goodnight Quinn."

"Goodnight Noah."

He let out an annoyed groan. "I still hate it when you call me that."

"Well it is your name."

"Don't remind me, _Lucy_."

"Goodnight _Puck._ "

"That's better."

Quinn rolled her eyes before closing them. They had fallen asleep for a few hours when that sensation came back. This time when she woke, she didn't panic and stayed where she was. "Puck?"

"I know."

"Do you feel it?"

"Yeah." They basked in the moment until Puck ruined it with, "Must feel weirder on the inside though."

After rolling her eyes at that, Quinn stared at the clock on the wall for a moment. "Puck."

"Yeah?"

"Happy birthday."

...

Quinn's birthday, meanwhile, was on a Monday that year. They had planned a small party later in the evening, but Puck and Quinn spent the day trying to find suitable names for their progeny. By this point, Quinn was browsing another book of names. "Sarah?"

"I've been with a Sarah," he admitted.

"Are there any girls you haven't been with?"

"You wanted me to be honest, didn't you? And seriously, what's wrong with the name Jack?"

"I know you prefer the simple, easy names, but maybe you should reconsider some more...dignified names."

"So we're gonna go for a 'simple, easy, dignified' name?"

"I am partial to the name Noah."

"We're not naming the kid after me."

"And we're not naming it after me either."

"You never use the name Lucy."

"Do you even like the name Lucy?"

"No, and thankfully I'm not the only one who think it's stupid to name a kid after someone who's alive."

"Remind me again why you rejected the names Finn, Russell, Judith, Francine, Margaret, and Katherine. I can understand you not liking the names of my parents and sister—and not using Finn's name out of respect for his family—but why don't you like the names of _your_ mother and sister."

"Honestly?"

"Honestly."

"Because I'd want to call the kid Maggie or Katie and..."

"And?" she prompted for him to continue.

"...it might be too painful."

"Oh, Puck."

"I'm only gonna associate those names with my mom and my sister. And I sure as hell ain't callin' my kid _Margaret_ or _Katherine._ "

"You want a name that's short, I want a name that sounds elegant and has meaning, so what do we do?"

"Too bad the Schues got the name Danny. I like the name Danny."

"Daniel is an elegant sounding name. The name is Hebrew for 'God is my judge'."

"Most of my ancestry is Hebrew anyway."

"Would you like a Hebrew name?"

"If it's not too much trouble."

"A short, elegant, meaningful, Hebrew name."

"I'm sure that narrows it down."

"Ha, ha."

"Well, yeah. Maybe you can find a fancy sounding name of Hebrew descent that I can shorten to somethin' I won't be embarrassed to call my own kid."

"That's...actually not a bad idea." It was quiet for about a minute after Quinn went back to her book.

The silence was broken when Puck confessed, "I have a half-brother."

"You do?"

He nodded. "His name's Jacob, but he likes to be called Jake. He wrote me a letter after he read my story in the paper."

"How old is he?"

"A couple years younger than I am, but older than my sister."

"You mean your father-"

"Fooled around on my mother? Yeah, he did."

"That's awful."

"Don't let that worry you. I am not my father, I am never gonna be my father, and I would never do that to you."

"I know you wouldn't. I trust you."

"Just not enough to let me name the kid Jack?"

"Noah!"

"Okay, okay, I get it." Once again, she went back to her research. "You know if my Mom had another boy his name would've been Nathan."

"Nathan?" She thought about it. "Nathan."

"It sounds fancy enough on its own. I mean maybe you could call him Nate when he's older."

"Nathan," Quinn searched the book for that name. "It says that Nathan means 'he gave'."

"It's Hebrew."

"I like that name."

"Great, we got one!"

"We don't know if the baby's a boy or not."

"Way to kill the moment, Q."

"Nathan and Noah start with the same letter."

"So?"

"So I don't know any girl names that start with 'Q'?"

"What about 'L'?"

"We could try," she browsed through the book and started choosing names she thought were best suited.

Puck contemplated the choices for a moment. "Well, we're screwed."

"Noah!"

"It doesn't have to start with the same letter as your name. It's purely coincidental the name we picked for a boy starts with the same letter of the name I never use."

"We are going to find the right name for our future child." Shortly after returning to her book, she gasped.

"What?"

"We're going to need to find a middle name to go with it!"

Standing from his spot in the chair, Puck went over to the bed, took the book Quinn was reading, and threw it aside. "Not now," he spoke before she got the chance to say anything.

"Why did you-"

"This is one of those times when books aren't gonna give us the answers. The name Nathan came to us purely by chance, and I'm more than sure the name we pick for our daughter will happen upon us the same way." She tried to talk, but he prevented her from doing so. "Middle names too." And again, he cut off any protests. "Right now you are going to get ready for your party, then you can relax while I get ready, and afterwards we can go downstairs and pretend like we're having fun even though we won't be."

"Why Noah, you're so tactful."

"You are not going to keep stressing yourself over this. Now go on and get ready while I throw all these useless books out the window."

"At least keep one of them so I can look up the name meanings."

"Okay, fine, I will do that. But right now, we are not going to worry about this naming thing. We'll have the names ready by the time the kid comes."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely," this seemed to reassure Quinn. Before heading for the bathroom, she gave Puck a sweet kiss. He waited for the door to close before uttering a nervous, "I hope."

...

By the time Quinn went into labor, they still hadn't decided.

It was barely dawn on June 8th when Quinn's labor started. They had called the doctor over and Emma stayed with Quinn in the bedroom.

 _"Why can't I stay in there?" Puck had questioned the doctor._

 _"It's not a man's place," he answered._

"You're _a man."_

 _"I am a certified medical professional."_

 _"Yeah, well that's_ my _wife giving birth to_ my _kid."_

 _"You can not go in there Mr. Puckerman, and that is final!"_

 _"Mrs. Schue gets to go in there!"_

 _"Mrs. Schuester has given birth before, she knows what to do in this situation and is better suited to help. Now go wait downstairs until the child is delivered."_

Never before had Puck wanted to punch someone so hard in the face.

Carole had taken Daniel to the park for the day while Will waited downstairs with an anxious Puck. Will sat comfortably in his chair reading the paper while Puck paced up and down, stopping to cringe every time he heard Quinn scream. "The hell's going on up there?"

"You might as well get comfortable, Puck," Will advised. "This could take hours."

"How would you know?" Will quirked a brow to him. "Right, sorry," Puck sat on the sofa. "Why aren't you freaking out more?"

Will let out a small chuckle before going back to the paper. "Slow news day."

"Does he have a middle name?" This question obviously caught Will off guard. "Danny, I mean. Does Danny have a middle name?"

"Nope."

"How come?"

"Emma and I couldn't decide on one. Yes, we both liked the name Daniel, but she was making herself sick stressing about a middle name so we stopped looking for one. In the end we decided he didn't need one. The only time he even comes close to having one is in writing when we put 'Danny' in quotation marks between his first and last name."

"Makes sense, I guess." Another, more agonized scream came from upstairs. "How painful is this birth thing supposed to be anyway?"

"Let's hope man never finds out."

Suddenly there were the sounds of a newborn crying. Puck looked at the nearby clock. 11:06. "I thought you said this was going to take a while?"

"I guess yours was in a rush to come out," Will followed Puck to the bottom of the stairs where the cries were more louder.

An excited Emma hurried out of the room and down the stars where she immediately hugged Puck. "Congratulations, Noah! You have a beautiful little girl. Mother and daughter are both in perfect health."

With a proud smile on his face, Will patted Puck's shoulder. "Well Noah, you're a father."

Puck let out an awed, yet disbelieved laugh. "I'm a father." He then promptly fainted.

Thankfully, Will had caught him. "First-time fathers." The door to the bedroom opened and the doctor began making his way downstairs. "Say Doc," Will called to the doctor before he could make it downstairs, "think you can help me get the proud papa upstairs?"

And that's how Puck found himself on his chair in his bedroom some time later. "How in the hell-"

"Language, Noah!" Quinn's stern, but gentle voice brought him to full alert.

When he looked over to the bed, he saw her sitting up cradling a baby in her arms. "Is that-"

Quinn giggled when she nodded to him. "Come over and meet your daughter."

Puck cautiously made his way over to the bed and peered down at his daughter. "Holy cow."

"Isn't she beautiful?"

"She looks just like you."

"You think so?"

"Definitely," he planted a kiss atop Quinn's head. "I'm proud of you, Q; you did real good."

They stared at their newborn for a peaceful moment before Quinn quietly spoke up. "I want to name her Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth?"

"I read one of those name books while you were sleeping and I was just drawn to that name before I even found it."

"What's it mean?"

"'God is my oath' or something like that."

"Yeah, but _Elizabeth_?"

"You got to pick the boy's name."

"I didn't exactly-"

"I just gave birth to her and I'm calling her Elizabeth."

Puck couldn't really argue with that. "Okay fine. You call her Elizabeth and I'll call her...Beth."

" _Beth_?"

"Yeah, _Beth_."

"Well why not Ellie? Or Lizzie? Or Betty?"

Puck made a disgusted face. "We want our daughter to like us, don't we?"

"What about her middle name?"

"She doesn't need one."

"Are you sure?"

"Sure I'm sure."

"So our daughter's name is just going to be Elizabeth Puckerman?"

"I'm not gonna argue with you after what you've been through; but believe me," Puck smiled at the newborn and let her grasp onto his finger, "she's clearly a Beth."

"Well I'm still calling her Elizabeth."

Puck smirked at his wife. "We'll see."

...

 _Christmas, 1911_

Will clapped his hands together as he rose from the sofa. "Alright, I'm passing out presents this year!"

"You pass out presents every year Mr. Schue," Quinn pointed out.

"Why spoil tradition? Now who's getting the first gift?"

"Bow!" twenty month old Daniel toddled to the tree where he began tearing at the decorative bow on one of the presents.

"Thank you Daniel for our first choice," Will took the present from his son. This resulted in Daniel throwing a tantrum. "Em, can you?"

"Come here, Baby," Emma scooped up her son and bounced him in her arms, turning his crying into laughing.

"Looks like our first gift is to...Beth," Will passed the somewhat opened present to Puck so that Puck could open it for his daughter.

"Hear that Beth, you get the first present," Puck was about to pass the present to his six month old daughter when he noticed something on the nametag."Why did you sign it from _Satna_?"

" _Satna_?" Emma looked at the nametag. "It's supposed to say 'From _Santa_ '."

"Why?"

"Because we want the kids to believe in Santa while they're still young."

"I seriously got to give in to that make believe crap every year?"

"Language, Noah," Quinn admonished as she took the present from him and held it in front of Beth. "See Beth?" Even Quinn (who was born with a different name herself) couldn't deny that her daughter was clearly a Beth, "Let's see what Santa brought you." Beth quickly eyed the gift before directing her attention to nothing else in particular. "She clearly has her father's attention span."

The doorbell rang. "Seeing as I'm the only one without my hands full," Puck noted as he stood, "I'll get the door." He did so.

"HO! HO! HO!" Blaine and Kurt were on the other side of the door. Blaine dressed as Santa and Kurt dressed as an elf.

"Isn't it a little early for Halloween?"

"Well," Kurt seemed offended, "somebody's not in the Christmas spirit!"

"I got so much Christmas spirit that I spit tinsel."

"Always the charmer, Puck."

"I thought you guys were goin' to the party later dressed like normal people."

"First, Blaine and I are headed down to the orphanage to deliver toys to the kids."

Blaine nodded. "It was actually my idea to stop by to surprise Danny and Beth with their presents."

"Parlor." Puck stepped aside so that Blaine and Kurt could make an entrance for the kids.

"HO! HO! HO! MERRY CHRISTMAS!" The first result of that greeting was Daniel screaming and burying his face in his mother's nightgown.

"Eh," Puck was back in the parlor with a smirk on his face, "can't please everyone,"

"Here's his present anyway," a less enthusiastic Blaine handed Emma Daniel's gift.

"And here," Kurt was ready with another gift, "is a present for Miss Beth."

Quinn took the present and held it in front of Beth, but the baby just stared blankly ahead. "Sorry boys, I don't think she understands Christmas yet." Beth let out some sort of grunt as she made a play for the bow on the first gift she had yet to open. "Sweetie, that's not a play toy."

"Coulda saved a fortune on gifts if we just bought the kids them wrapping bows," Puck noted. "Now I know what I'm getting Beth for Christmas next year."

"Really, Noah?" Puck just smirked. "Did you even shop for anything this year? I know we gave you the money to."

"One of these days people are going to wise up to the fact that this holiday season is just a way to scam people out of money by buying useless junk they don't need."

"Then maybe we should take your presents back."

"Ah-ah-ah, tis the season to be giving."

"Please don't ruin your daughter's first Christmas with your attitude."

"Okay, fine. Now give me one of my presents." He noticed the glare he was getting from Quinn. "Give me one of my presents _please_."

…

As it got later in the day, the kids got more tired "I think maybe we should put the little ones to bed," Emma suggested. "Come on Danny, bedtime."

Of course Daniel garnered more energy to protest this. "NO! NO! NO!"

Emma laughed as she picked him up. "Yes, yes, yes."

"Come on, Beth," Beth was more willing to have her mother take her and put her to bed (as evident by her massive yawn). "Someone's tired."

Puck also yawned. "I'll say. No one should have to get up early. We should probably take a nap or somethin'."

"We have to get ready for Tina's Christmas party."

"Why do I have to go? Tina doesn't even like me."

"Because you're my husband and you have to make an appearance." Puck made a grumble at that. "And because the party is going to be catered."

"Hallelujah, a Christmas miracle."

"You were never one to resist free food."

"I'm sure you'd do the same if you grew up not knowing if you would eat."

"Fair point," they approached Beth's nursery/former guest room. "Why is the door closed?"

"People usually close the doors to empty rooms," Puck opened the door.

"Uh-huh," she could tell he was hiding something.

"And maybe I kept my present from Beth in here."

"Oh?"

Puck opened the top drawer of Beth's wardrobe to pull out his gift. "Here," he showed it to them. It was something Puck had drawn; the words 'Too Beth' were written in the top corner. "It uh…it was supposed to be a clown—she liked those clowns from the circus—I thought I'd draw one for her, but I think I turned it into a pig."

"Aww, that's so sweet."

"The hell it is; it's embarrassing."

"Noah."

"Right, language, sorry."

"We'll frame it and put it on the wall."

"Seriously?"

"Yes."

"Alright, fine," he grumbled.

"And I like it."

"Yeah, yeah, you always like the corny stuff." Puck set the drawing down on the nightstand as Quinn laid the baby down in the crib. "I got something for you too."

"Do you?" He handed her another piece of paper. She looked it over. "What is this?"

"A deed," her eyes widened at him. "I got us a house."

"You did what?"

"I've been saving up a lot of money and I thought I'd get you somethin' nice with it."

"How could you afford it?"

"Mr. Schue might've helped a little. I mean ignoring the fact that cranky Old Lady Adler died in it, it is a nice house. It's close to The Schues for another thing—nowhere near my old neighborhood. And…I dunno…we might have some more kids someday; gotta have the room, right?" She stared at the official paper dumbfounded. "So…what do you think?" The next thing he knew, she flung herself into his arms. This did take him by surprise—he let out a 'whoa' and stumbled backwards a bit—but he soon wrapped his arms around her. "So you like it?"

"I love it!" She gave him a quick kiss. "And I love you."

"I know, I am pretty amazing." She gave him a playful swat. "It'd be too corny if I said I loved you back."

"Well I always like the corny stuff." Puck snorted at that. "Noah."

"Okay, okay, I love you too."

She flashed him a smirk similar to his. "I know," she reached for something in her dress pocket, eliciting a laugh from Puck when she held the mistletoe up over their heads. "One more Christmas present?" His response was breaking into a wide smile. "Merry Christmas, Puck."

"Merry Christmas, Quinn," he kissed his wife under the mistletoe.

…

The story might not be perfect, but at least it was theirs.

* * *

 **Yes, there are a couple little throwbacks to stuff featured in other chapters. Some might not be as obvious as others, but they fit well in this chapter.** **I figured the first chapter didn't really showcase the movie, so maybe the last chapter shouldn't either—keep it somewhat original, right?**

 **Well, that's all folks. Thanks for sticking with this story. Peace out!**


End file.
